Time Changes Everything
by soulmatesDC
Summary: After graduating high school, Derek and Casey hear something unsettling. When they find themselves somewhere unexpected, will they be able to put their differences aside to get back home?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is one of those "never could happen in real life" type stories. -shrugs shoulders- It's something new. It's also going to be a little different in writing style, compared to my other stories, I think.

They will probably not be very in character, because the events that will happen will shock them both . . . so I'd appreciate it if I don't get reviews informing me that they are OOC, I already know. Besides, this is FANFICTION, I'm not the writer of the show so don't expect me to be.

Bit of information: Casey and Derek just graduated high school yesterday. They are now on a vacation to some amusement park with their family. I don't know what's in Canada, so I didn't give it a name.

It might be a little confusing now but I'll answer all questions, so don't hesitate to ask them.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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"Stupid Lizzie," Casey grumbled to herself as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Always picking stupid Edwin over her own sister, leaving me with stupid, arrogant, egotistical, smug bas-" 

"Casey will you just shut up already!" Derek screamed, annoyed because he's been listening to Casey's complaining for the past 5 minutes. "And Ed is going to regret choosing Lizzie over me later when we get back to the hotel room," he spoke in softer tones, more to himself than his counterpart for the day.

Rolling her eyes, Casey knew that Derek's threat was empty. She didn't doubt that Edwin would get an ear-full, but Derek wouldn't resort to violence when it came to his brother. Even though he has shown absolutely no compassion towards her, Casey knew that Derek wouldn't hurt his siblings, Lizzie included.

After about 5 minutes of walking in silence, the slapping of Casey's flip-flops to the soles of her feet caused Derek to stop and throw his arms up in frustration. "Why don't we just try and split again?"

Turning around to face the exasperated Derek, Casey explained for the umpteenth time that day. "Because, the last 5 times we tried mom and George would pop out of nowhere and force us back together. I'm not willing to risk my car privileges. So just buck up and do what I'm doing." She sighed when she saw the look of confusion on his face, "I'm pretending you don't exist."

Knowing that arguing with her would be a lost cause, Derek caught up to Casey, falling into step besides her. "I don't understand why we're even talking to any of them. I know that I'm still pissed at them for not telling us until this morning."

Looking out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the scowl of Derek's profile. "I'm mad as well, but there is no point taking it out on them when I'm blaming this entire situation on you."

He stopped, grabbed Casey's arm and turned her to face him. "You think this is my fault? Who was the one that said for years that they wanted to go to school in Toronto?"

"Yeah well, plans change. What about 'I'm getting as far away from this place as possible and plan to live it up in the states.' You never said anything about staying in London."

Derek's anger on the subject of his college plans got the better of him and he pushed Casey into the fence surrounding some lame ride that he would never be caught dead on. "My plans changed as well Casey. And I didn't hear your little announcement about staying in London either. I'm surprised you didn't hold a meeting about it."

"I told everyone that mattered in my life Derek, maybe you should take the hint and realize once and for all that you mean nothing to me," she shouted in his face. She tried to shift her body to get out of his grip. The fence that she was up against began to dig into the exposed skin of her leg from the skirt she was wearing when Derek pushed her a little further into it.

"Do you think I care that I mean nothing to you? I wouldn't have it any other way." The grip he had on her right arm tightened and she began to feel his nails on her forearm, which were bound to leave an imprint. "I'm so mad that I still have at least 4 years with you in my life. You couldn't make things easier for all of us and just followed through with your grade-grubber dreams to go to Toronto?"

The hatred heard in Derek's voice snapped Casey's control, causing her to admit something she didn't want to tell anyone. "Apparently my 'grade-grubbing' wasn't enough for the school of my choice and they didn't want me. I needed more extracurricular activities and was put on the waiting list. The only other schools I applied to were in London. So I'm stuck at home with you, the person who has always said they were getting out of Canada the second they got the chance."

"Well I would have if I had been accepted to any other school than the one near our house!" Derek screamed before he was able to stop himself. Realizing his slip, Derek let go of Casey and turned his back to her.

Neither could believe that they told their secrets to the one person they despised the most. So, Derek decided to pretend it didn't happen and began to walk away. Casey knew what he was doing and agreed, reluctantly following the person her family stuck her with for the day.

Trying to get her mind off of what both just admitted, Casey began humming to herself. "Three days since the living room, we realized we're both to blame, but what could we do? Yesterday you just smiled at me 'cause it'll still be two days till we say we're sorry," she whispered the lyrics of her favorite song to herself.

Leaning in to hear Casey a little better, he tried to remember the name of the familiar song. He knew he recognized it and known that it was one of his favorites in the past. Derek was about to ask her what the name of the song was until a small booth that he hadn't noticed before caught his eye. Reading the sign, he scoffed.

Casey looked up to see what Derek was going to complain about now and followed his gaze to a small building with three walls and a black curtain as the fourth wall. She read the sign above it out loud, "Future Teller Extraordinaire: Sir Woody?" she finished in a question, wondering why something like this would catch Derek's attention out of everything around them.

"I know," he said, thinking Casey thought it was as dumb as he did. "It's probably just some stupid ventriloquist's dummy that spits out some random phrase that can apply to anyone. Who would want to waste 3 tokens on that anyway?"

Knowing it would be something to piss him off; Casey reached into her pocket for 3 of the tokens her mother handed her earlier that day. She left Derek standing in the middle of the walkway and headed towards the black curtain. Right before she was about to pull it back she heard Derek's voice.

"You're kidding right?" Derek asked, as he reached her side, leaning up against the wall of 'Sir Woody's' booth.

"Nope," she smiled at him before she pulled the curtain closed behind her. It was rather small inside, with enough room for two people to stand comfortably. In front of her was a wooden dummy in a glass case that looked like it should be on the knee of some comedian. _He's always right_ she thought to herself before sliding the 3 tokens into the slot to the right.

The dummy's lips formed a small smile before the glass in front of him clouded over and words began to appear. Arrows formed pointing to buttons next to the different choices: 1 year, 5 years or 10 years.

Rolling her eyes, she said to herself "I wonder what random thing it's going to tell me about my life" before hitting the 10 year button. If she was able to see through the frosted glass, she would have noticed the eyes of the dummy dart to the side of the booth before a voice was heard through the small holes near the coin slot.

Meanwhile, Derek was contemplating ways to make the rest of Casey's day miserable. He figured a rollercoaster, some of those 'disgusting' deep fried Oreos that Casey hated and flirting with any and every girl that crossed their path would be sufficient. As he looked around for the nearest annoyance he couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face.

"In 10 years . . . you will be happily married to the person smirking right outside the curtain."

Casey's eyes widened as she spun around to see Derek step inside. He heard Casey's future and did not like it at all.

"What the hell was that? I am not marrying you."

Shoving him against the wall so that she could have some space, Casey responded. "I'm not marrying you either. I'm never going to love you. I don't even like you."

"Well, at least we agree on one thing, because I don't like you either."

Before Casey could reply, both felt their throats constrict and started coughing. Pushing Derek out of her way, Casey walked out and leaned against one of the walls of the booth. Derek followed, standing in front of her with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

After both stopped coughing Casey spoke while rubbing her stomach, "I feel like I'm going to be sick."

Derek didn't want to agree with her, but his stomach began to bother him as well. "I'll text Dad and let him know that we are going back to the hotel." When he was finished and placed his phone back into his pocket, he followed Casey.

Without saying a word to each other as they entered the hotel and rode the elevator up to their floor, they entered their separate rooms. And after they were changed into pajamas, Casey and Derek fell into their beds and fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

That day, neither noticed the powdery substance coming from the small holes to the left of the coin slot in the booth before they started coughing. Or the smirk on 'Sir Woody's face before they walked outside of his booth. Or the slight tingle going through their entire bodies right before they fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know this is a short chapter and for that I'm sorry. I promise that the next will be longer and make things a little clearer.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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It was morning, Derek could feel it. There was a soft pink hue just beyond his closed eyelids and his body wasn't complaining of fatigue. Actually, he felt rather rejuvenated and couldn't remember waking up as content as he felt this morning.

However, the soft pillow underneath his head was making it difficult to fully wake up. So, keeping his eyes closed he tightened his grip on the smooth pillow across his chest, which was soothing him back to sleep with small movements on his side and constant puffs of air on his neck.

Suddenly his eyes shot open as thoughts crossed his mind. Smooth like _skin_, movements that felt like they were being made by a _hand_ and puffs of air like _someone's breathing_. Very slowly, his eyes moved down from the maroon pillow in front of him to look into wide blue eyes.

A few moments before Derek's eyes found another's and he learned someone else was in his bed, which had white hotel pillows on it the night before, Casey too had awoken and arrived at some startling realizations of her own.

She too noticed it was morning and found that she had a particularly good night's sleep. However, the warmth coming from her firm, body length pillow, which was holding her, made her want to stay in bed a few minutes longer. Even the itchiness near her cheek didn't make her want to officially get up just yet.

Things fell into place for Casey as well . . . firm warm _body_, _arms_ holding her and itchy _stubble_ . . . her eyes opened and moved from the bare, male chest up to large brown eyes.

No more than 3 seconds after their eyes made contact, a very loud scream left Casey's mouth, causing Derek to jump back and fall off the bed.

Casey also got off the bed, putting it between herself and the other person. "What the hell do you think you are doing in my bed?" she shrieked, nervous about having a stranger in her room.

"What do you mean your bed?" Derek asked as he grabbed onto the side of the bed to lift himself up off the floor. He recognized the voice right away and figured that Casey must have entered the wrong room the night before, probably meaning to go into Nora's. He rolled his eyes, thinking of all the ways to make fun of Casey, about how she found her way to his bed instead of her 'mommy's'.

Identifying Derek's voice, she let out a sigh of relief while trying to figure out why he would be in her bed. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose while running through possibilities in her head. The only one that stuck out was that Derek was being a jerk, as well as completely perverted.

Opening her eyes, she was about to tell him off, but the words died on her tongue as her mouth opened.

The first thing she noticed was the deep red comforter instead of the ugly floral design from the night before. Narrowing her eyes in confusion, she moved her head upwards to see a well-defined body only covered in a pair of boxers. This was certainly NOT the body she associated with the voice she just heard. Finally, after a few seconds of openly staring, her eyes landed on the face of her step-brother.

What she didn't expect to see was the face in front of her. It was not that of an 18 year old Derek, but a rather matured, older looking Derek . . . who was gaping like a fish?

"Derek?" she asked, baffled.

"Uh-huh," he responded, finally closing his mouth.

"Is . . . is that you?" She needed some to confirm that this _man_ was actually her annoying step-brother.

Distracted, he answered with a slight nod of his head.

Following his gaze down to her body, she realized why Derek's eyes hadn't made their ascent from the bed to her face yet. She was looking down at an unrecognizable, equally matured as Derek's, body dressed in a _very _revealing piece of lingerie.

Snapping her head up, Casey looked around the room for something to cover her body, which she couldn't believe was her own, with. Finding a robe thrown across a chair to her left, she put it on, only afterwards noticing that it was a male's robe.

As soon as her body was covered, Derek looked up and his eyes widened even further.

"Case?" he asked in disbelief. She nodded. "Whoa, you're like you . . . but older."

She rolled her eyes and wrapped the robe a little tighter against her body, trying to cover up even more. "Very eloquently put Derek. You also look older." She paused, reflecting upon her own questions about the odd situation at hand. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"No," he sneered at the accusing tone of her voice. "The last thing I remember is going back to the hotel yesterday and falling asleep. Alone." He said more to himself, trying to put his thoughts in order.

"The day after graduation?" she asked for clarification.

"Yeah," he stated like it was obvious.

"Me too," she sighed. "Any ideas as to" she gestured over the bed between them, "how we got here?"

"Um . . . maybe we uh . . ." he scratched his chin in contemplation, "just woke up from a coma?"

Casey's mouth dropped, eyes narrowed and hands went to her hips. "Are you kidding me? A coma? Because this is a hospital room and the doctors would put us together in the same bed, wearing close to nothing." She ended in a slightly louder voice than she began, frustrated with Derek's stupidity.

"Well, what do _you_ think is going on?" he stressed, knowing she knew just as much as he did.

Casey deflated, shrugged slightly and dropped her arms. "Maybe we're both dreaming?"

Just as Derek was about to yell at Casey for making fun of him, both heard another voice in the room.

"Daddy?" Casey and Derek's eyes widened for what seemed like the hundredth time in a few minutes as they found each other's gaze. "Are you and mommy okay?"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews. They really mean a lot and I'm glad that people are actually giving this story a chance. I like some parts of this chapter, but I'm not sure about it as a whole.

Random side note: You know that classmatesDOTcom advertisement that is on the top of the page sometimes? It has the heart with wings fluttering about . . . Does it annoy the crap out of anyone else?

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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Derek and Casey stood still, unblinking, with their hearts beating rapidly in their chests. No, they couldn't believe it. They thought that they must have heard wrong.

That is, until they heard a new voice in the room.

"Morning!" Casey blinked, breaking eye contact with Derek. Both turned away from each other and looked towards the newly open bedroom door.

Derek heard Casey gasp, but couldn't tear his eyes away from the two children in front of him to look at her. There was a small boy, maybe 5 or 6 years old, standing in cowboy pajamas. He had short, reddish brown hair and large brown eyes. Standing behind the boy was a younger girl, about 4 years old, wearing a hockey jersey that went past her knees. She had long, slightly wavy, reddish brown hair with blue eyes.

No one said anything for a few minutes. Derek and Casey really couldn't believe what was going on and were too shocked to do anything but dart their eyes from the boy to the girl.

"Daddy," broke Derek out of his stupor. His eyes traveled back to the little girl in front of him. "Is mommy okay?" He turned away and looked over at Casey. Her hand was covering her mouth, which he was sure was hanging open and her eyes were wide, moving between the two children.

"Yeah," he said turning back around. "Mo- . . . she's fine. Um . . . she saw a spider and got scared." He saw terror in the small girl's eyes so he quickly added, "Don't worry, it's gone now."

She let out a sigh of relief and hugged her teddy bear closer to her. Derek's eyes narrowed, that bear looked awfully familiar to him. Feeling a little uncomfortable with the two children staring at him and Casey, who has yet to move, he spoke again. "Why don't you two go play in the living room and we'll be down," he hoped they were in a house with two floors, "to make you breakfast in a few minutes."

With large smiles and childish excitement in their eyes, they left the room. Derek walked over to the door and watched them go down the stairs before he closed it. He turned around to see Casey still staring at the spot that they were standing in.

"What was wrong with you? You can't just stand there and look at them like that, you were freaking them out." Derek harshly whispered, just in case the children could hear them.

Casey shook her head to clear her thoughts. She finally uncovered her mouth and raised her eyes to look at Derek's face. "You were so nice to them. Why?"

"Why? Why was I nice to them?" He said a little louder. Casey nodded. "Damn it Casey, how did you expect me to react? They're our kids."

Her eyes widened again and her hand went back to her mouth. She shut her eyes and shook her head back and forth in disbelief.

Derek couldn't believe that he was the one accepting this information. He would have thought Casey would be the one explaining things to him, instead of the other way around. He walked over to her and grasped her shoulders, making her look at him. "Did you even look at them? They have my hair Casey. They both have _my_ hair." He let go of one of her shoulders and pointed behind him to the door. "That little girl, she has my hair and _your_ eyes. And the boy would be a carbon copy of me if he didn't have _your_ nose."

Casey pushed him off of her and took a step back. She knew she couldn't deny it anymore. It was pretty obvious, based on just looking at them, that they were in fact her children.

Suddenly, it hit her. They were her children. Children she created with Derek. Casey turned around and opened the door behind her. Thankfully, it was their master bathroom. She ran inside, lifted the toilet seat, and began throwing up whatever it was that she ate the day before.

Cautiously, Derek entered the bathroom and tried not to look at Casey's form hunched over the toilet. He felt like he should do something so he moved to pull back her hair, but decided against it. He was about to sit on the floor next to her and rub her back, but again opted not to. Finally, when Casey stopped heaving, he lightly tapped her on her shoulder and handed her one of the hand towels nearby.

Casey wiped her mouth with the towel and leaned back against the wall. She looked down and noticed that the towel had a monogram on it. It had the letters C, D and V intertwined together. She closed her eyes and shook her head, praying that it was wedding gift and that she didn't buy them herself. But, just thinking about their wedding night brought on another bout of vomit.

Derek sat down, across the room from her, waiting for her to stop throwing up. When she finished and faced him, Derek spoke. "Are you feeling sick because we have kids?"

Casey shook her head 'no'. "It's not that we have kids Derek. It's how we made them." She paused, hoping she didn't have to actually say it out loud, but continued when Derek gave her a questioning look. "We've had sex Derek," she shuddered.

Realization crossed Derek's features and he pushed Casey out of the way, emptying his own stomach into the toilet. Casey offered him, what she presumed was his own towel and watched him as he stood up.

"I hope we only did it twice." He said as he opened the cabinet looking for his toothbrush and toothpaste. Casey was going to say something about what she was wearing underneath his robe and activities that probably happened the night before, but decided against it as she flushed the toilet.

Standing next to him, she reached for the pink toothbrush and toothpaste, and began to brush her teeth as well. Both stared into the open cabinet, afraid of closing it and looking at their own reflections just yet.

When he finished, Derek left the bathroom and noticed a pair of sweatpants draped over the same chair Casey got the robe from. Putting them on, he went to open the bedroom door before Casey called out to him.

"Where are you going?" she asked, after putting on her own robe that she found behind the bathroom door.

Derek turned to face her, but left his hand on the doorknob. "There are children downstairs that need to be fed. Or do you want them to starve?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I don't want them to starve. But don't you think we should come to a few conclusions before we leave this room and face whatever there is out there?"

"They're just kids _Case_."

"I don't mean them _Der_. What about how we got here? Or how are we going to get back? Or any of the hundred other questions we have?"

Derek sighed and dropped his hand from the doorknob. "Well, we are obviously in the future . . .unless we're dreaming or something," he said with a chuckle. He took a few steps closer to her, "It must be far into the future, you could pass for," he squinted and cocked his head to the side, "45?"

Casey huffed and pushed his shoulder. "Jerk," she muttered. "So, we are somehow in the future." She paused, "How do you think we got here?"

"Beats me."

"Okay . . . any ideas on how we get back?" He shrugged. "Much help you are," she mumbled. "Do you think we should tell anyone?"

"And look like crazy people? I don't think so." He shook his head at her, imaging what people's reactions would be.

"Fine, we'll just think about what to do and discuss it later. But right now, we have to go feed our children before they start to worry. I don't want them to think their parents don't love them all of a sudden." She moved closer to him. "But if we can't get back or figure any of this out . . . I want a divorce."

Derek shoved her with his shoulder as he went towards the door. "Just tell me where to sign."

Casey followed him out of the bedroom and down the stairs, both avoiding the pictures that lined the walls. When they reached the bottom landing, Derek glanced into the living room to make sure the children were in there before he pushed a swing door open and entered the kitchen.

When he walked up to the refrigerator, Derek noticed a large calendar on the side. He looked at the next un-Xed out date. "Hey, it's been 10 years Case. It's June 23rd, 2017."

Casey smacked Derek's arm. "So we're 28, not 45!"

"Yeah, yeah. Same difference." Derek continued to look at Casey's handwriting on the calendar. It said vacation from the day before throughout the entire next week. The day before had a big heart on it, that day had '7pm at the Hilton' and '3pm, Marti's party' the next day.

"Looks like you're still an organized freak. And, Marti's having a party tomorrow . . . so I guess our parents didn't disown us if we we're invited."

"Pity," Casey mumbled as she made her way to the front of the refrigerator. "I'm sure I wouldn't have married you if they did disown us."

"Who says we're even married?"

Casey made a face and showed him the ring on her finger while pointing to the one on his own hand.

Looking back at the calendar, Derek noticed more of Casey's handwriting. "Hey, it says 'D's practice' all over this thing. I wonder if I still play with the guys."

Casey handed the magnet she was looking at to Derek. "I don't know if I would call it playing if you get paid to do it." The magnet was a picture of Derek, with his stats from 2016 as captain of the Maple Leafs.

"Freakin' awesome." Derek exclaimed, amazed by his own information.

Ignoring Derek, she moved towards the coffee pot, grateful that was preprogrammed, and grabbed a mug from the dish drain board. Not bothering to search for sugar, she poured a cup and began to drink it black while leaning against the kitchen counter.

The door to the kitchen swung open and Casey looked down. "Derek?"

"What?" he asked as he put the magnet back and turned around.

"Is that," she pointed to the small white dog by Derek's feet, "a schnoodle?"

"No," Casey looked up, knowing that it was indeed a schnoodle, to see Derek's hand covering his eyes. "Nope, definitely not. Uh-uh. No."

The door swung open again. "Bob. Get back here."

Derek dropped his hand and his head fell to where his chin was resting against his chest. "I can't believe this," he said as he shook his head back and forth. Looking at the boy playing with the dog, Derek realized something. He stepped over them and walked towards Casey, leaning against the counter next to her. He whispered, "I think we have a problem."

"Oh great, another one."

He ignored her sarcasm and continued. "We don't know the names of our kids."

Casey looked down at the boy, then back up at Derek. "Gabrielle," she whispered.

"What?"

"Gabrielle is the name of our daughter."

Derek turned away from the boy and dog to look Casey in the face. "And how would you know that?"

She sighed. "It's the name I always wanted for my daughter. And I wouldn't have backed down for anything."

"I wouldn't have allowed it," he replied nastily to get on her nerves.

Casey shrugged her shoulders. "I'm telling you, it's her name."

Derek glared at her. It wasn't that he didn't like the name, he actually thought it was a good one. But if it was something Casey always wanted, he figured he would have fought for a different name.

He turned, looked at the little boy and said. "Um . . . uh son . . .can you go call your sister in here for breakfast?"

"Kay," the boy said standing up and walking towards the door. "Gabby!" They heard as the door swung open. "Daddy's going to make breakfast now."

Derek turned around to see a triumphant grin on Casey's face. He waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Coming Derek," from the little girl in the other room wiped the smile off of Casey's face and made Derek's arm drop. He walked the few steps towards Casey and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Confused, Casey lifted her arms in the air, afraid Derek was going to hurt her. When she realized it was a hug, she went to return it, but decided not to at the last second. She dropped an arm and went to rub his back with the other one, but again choose not to. Finally, she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Derek?"

"You gave me a junior Case," he mumbled into her hair.

* * *

I couldn't help myself with the Bob thing. :P 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I don't really like this chapter and I don't think it's as funny as the others. It's kind of the beginning of their transition from them being enemies to them being to work together. Also, I'm regretting the whole 'naming their son Derek' thing, I think it sounds weird says Derek Jr a lot, because it's not like I could just call him Derek. I was contemplating nicknaming him D.J. (Derek junior), but I felt it would be too _Full House_.

Thanks so much for all the reviews. I really hope you all will like this chapter as much as the last one, but I don't have very high hopes.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

"Derek?" 

"You gave me a junior Case," he mumbled into her hair.

"Right, well . . . your welcome?" Casey said while she thought of a nice way to get Derek off of her.

"What are we eating for breakfast?" Gabrielle asked entering the kitchen, causing Derek to pull away from Casey.

He stepped back and started looking around the kitchen. His eyes landed on the top of the refrigerator, seeing several boxes of cereal. Grabbing them, he placed them on the table.

Derek Jr immediately took a box that had a cartoon character on the front of it, while Gabrielle took a seat at the table. Casey scrunched her nose in disgust at the sugary choices and opened the refrigerator to get the milk. Turning, she noticed Derek opening several cabinets, searching for bowls. Glancing at the children, she was glad to see that they were preoccupied with Bob, instead of watching Derek.

Opening 2 cabinets herself, she finally found the bowls, taking 3 out and a grabbing banana for herself off of the hammock on the counter before making her way over to the kitchen table.

After a bowl was placed in front of him, Derek Jr poured his cereal while looking at the games on the back of the box. Casey seated herself across the table from Derek after putting the other 2 bowls down, noticing that Gabrielle made no movement for one of the boxes.

"Gabby," the little girl turned to face Casey. "What kind of cereal do you want?" Casey asked as she peeled back the skin from her banana.

Casey watched her eyes dart in Derek's direction, who also noticed Gabrielle looking at him as he reached for the Corn Pops and began to fill his bowl.

"Corn Pops," she said causing both Derek and Casey to laugh lightly, reminding them of how Marti used to copy Derek when she was younger. Derek reached over and filled Gabrielle's bowl halfway, pouring the milk afterwards.

Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes while they ate. When Casey finished her banana, she looked around the kitchen, thinking the color scheme made the room feel cozy. She wondered what the rest of the house looked like, since she didn't bother to look around earlier.

"Daddy," broke Casey out of her thoughts and made Derek look up from his breakfast.

"Yeah?" Derek asked the wide-eyed Gabrielle.

"I found this picture in my coloring book," she said before she put her spoon in her mouth. Casey watched as she chewed and swallowed before continuing, glad that her children had some manners. "It has a pony and a rainbow and grass and a sun." She smiled and Derek couldn't help but smile back at her excitement. "If I color it after breakfast, will you put it up on your wall?"

Derek looked up to find Casey looking back at him. She nodded, silently telling him to agree. He looked back at Gabrielle and said "Of course I will."

Her blue eyes sparkled as she smiled broadly. "Thanks Daddy," she said as she turned back to her cereal and clutched the tattered old teddy bear closer to her side.

Casey stood to throw away her banana peel, noticing Derek Jr's bowl empty. "Finished?" she asked him.

"Mm hmm," he answered while tracing his finger along a maze on the back of his cereal box. Casey reached for his bowl, as well as the one Gabrielle pushed forward before she left the room. Casey placed them in the sink and turned the water on.

"Can I feed Bob?" Derek Jr asked when he completed the maze. Derek nodded, relieved because he had no idea where the dog food was. He placed his bowl and spoon on the counter next to Casey, turning to see the small boy fill one dog dish with food, then carefully carry the other to the refrigerator door to fill it with water. Derek laughed at the small dog jumping on its hind legs as he closed the boxes of cereal, putting them and the milk away.

While finishing up the dishes, Casey heard the kitchen door shut, assuming Derek Jr went to join his sister in the living room. Wiping her hands on a nearby towel, she turned and said "Derek, we need to talk," to find the kitchen empty.

Sighing, she made her way into the living room. Gabrielle was lying on the floor coloring a horse bright pink and Derek was on his tiptoes, reaching for a DVD on the top shelf near the television.

"What movie do you want to watch?" Casey asked when she made her way over to him.

"Searching for Dory," he answered, pointing up when he settled himself back on the soles of his feet. Casey grabbed the case and scanned the back quickly. It was a Disney cartoon, what she figured was a sequel to _Finding Nemo_.

Turning the television on and putting the movie in the DVD player, she stepped to the side to look at the movie collection. Most were children's movies, with a few non-cartoons that probably belonged to Derek and Casey. There was also a shelf dedicated to hockey, mainly Maple Leaf games. Finally, she came across some homemade movies. The labels were all in her handwriting, which included _Derek's First Christmas_, _Gabrielle's First Birthday_, _Derek's Kindergarten Play_ and _Our Wedding_.

Quickly losing her interest in the movies, Casey turned and began to walk towards the hallway. "I'm going upstairs to find your uh . . . father, alright?"

"Kay mom," Derek Jr smiled, looking away from the movie for a moment while Gabrielle nodded, picking up a green crayon for the sun.

Casey went down the hall, taking note of what looked to be an office at the bottom of the stairs. There was a computer on a desk, a full bookcase in a corner and a comfortable looking loveseat and arm-chair. She was about to go inside to get a better look when she heard a door open upstairs.

Reaching the second floor, Casey glanced at the pictures on the walls while she made her way to the bedroom. All were of the children, except the one. She caught the sight of a white dress, making her look away, not wanting to see her wedding picture.

Entering the bedroom, Casey noticed the bathroom door open and steam coming out of it. She walked over and leaned against the doorframe. Derek stood, clad in only a towel around his waist, water still glistening on his torso. He was leaning over the sink, staring at himself, his face a few millimeters away from the mirror.

"Still conceited I see," Casey said while crossing her arms, startling Derek a bit.

He rolled his eyes at her and turned back to face the mirror, first looking at the right side, then the left side of his face. "We've both changed so much. I mean . . . look at me." He lifted his head slightly, swallowing to make his Adam's apple bob up and down.

"I have," Casey mumbled.

"What's that?" Derek asked, turning his head and lifting an eyebrow.

"I said 'I have'." She spoke a little clearer. He gave her a questioning look so she continued. "I noticed that you have a more predominant jaw than when we were . . . physically younger and your Adam's apple looks to be bigger."

Derek turned completely and leaned a hip against the sink to fully face Casey. "Checkin' me out Case?"

She laughed. "I just observed your strong jaw line and larger Adam's apple, which unfortunately happens to be my thing." She whispered the second half of the sentence. Derek heard her and smirked, making her put her hands on her hips. "Don't even start with me Derek. Who was the one who couldn't form a single sentence when I wasn't wearing my robe earlier?"

"Casey, I'm a guy." He explained for his actions, but Casey just raised her own eyebrow. "Besides, did you even look at yourself yet?"

She shook her head no, causing Derek to push himself off the sink and grasp her wrist, pulling her to stand next to him. He leaned over her, stretching his hand out to wipe the fog that formed on the mirror in front of her.

"Wow," Casey said softly, leaning closer to her reflection. Her face looked slightly thinner and her cheekbones stood out more than she remembered, making her face seem to be longer. But what shocked her most was that her once long hair was now layered and just past her shoulders. "I can't believe I cut my hair," she said while running her fingers through it.

"I like it. It looks good on you," Derek said before realizing it was a compliment, not an insult. Casey turned to look at him, but he went back to looking at himself. He turned his head a bit to the side and reached a hand up to his ear. "I pierced my ear?"

Casey shrugged, opening her mouth before she could stop herself. "I like guys with piercings."

Their eyes widened and made contact for a split second in the mirror before Derek turned to leave the bathroom. "Uh, yeah . . . I probably did it before we even got together. I'm sure it was for some other girl."

She turned just as he stepped out of the room. "Wait." He leaned his head back in. "We need to talk."

Derek took her place from before, leaning on the doorframe. "Continue."

"I know this is awkward." She heard him muttered something along the lines of 'you got that right' before she continued. "Look, we really need to figure this all out and we can't do that if we hate each other."

"What do you suggest we do then? And don't say something like a truce, because that implies something long term."

She sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. "What about a temporary compromise? We will try to be nice and tolerate one another. Because we need to work together to understand how we got here and find a way back home."

"Fine," he groaned, figuring he couldn't do it without her. He turned to leave the room but paused when she called his name again. "What now?"

"Are we going to Marti's party?"

"Of course, she's my sister. Besides, we might be able find out how we got here." He stopped, thinking about how to phrase his next sentence. "And I want to find out how the hell we ended up together."

Casey nodded in agreement. "But we're going to have to practice acting like a married couple."

Derek shivered and rubbed his arms. "Come on, I just took a shower and now I feel like my skin is crawling."

Watching him leave, Casey rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. "Oh Derek," she called walking towards the door. He didn't bother turning from the drawers he was searching through for clothing. "When you're done getting dressed, the children need to be changed out of their pajamas and Bob needs to be walked."

Derek turned to see Casey smirk before closing and locking the bathroom door.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry, this took longer than expected. I hope it came out alright; I couldn't seem to make it flow very well. Also, this chapter is the longest so far and I don't think the rest will be as long. Hope you all like it.

Special thanks to everyone who suggested something for the home movies, especially Kimberly18 for some of the ones I used.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Pissed off, Derek stomped down the stairs after he dressed himself in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He wanted to bang on the bathroom door and scream at Casey, tell her not to boss him around and that if she wanted something done she can do it herself.

And he was about to do just that, until he noticed a picture on the dresser. It was of his children, when they were a lot younger. Gabrielle looked to be only a few months old, laying in her brothers arms. They looked so cute, so innocent, that Derek changed his mind. He told himself he would go along with the compromise he had made with Casey, not only so he could get home but also so he wouldn't emotionally damage his children by fighting with their mother.

It hit him then . . . those were his kids. Granted, they were a combination of Derek and Casey, but he couldn't help but be amazed that they were his. And with that thought, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Come here Bob," Derek whispered while patting his thighs. He figured he'd walk the dog before he had to deal with the children. Besides, some fresh air might do him some good.

Derek Jr gently nudged the dog off his lap. He stretched his legs and settled back into the couch, continuing to watch the movie. Bob walked over to Derek as Gabrielle walked into the living room.

Tugging Derek's shirt to get his attention, she said "I put the picture on the desk," while smiling up at him.

"Oh thanks," Derek said quickly, scooping the dog up into his arms. He walked past the little girl and headed towards the front door.

Hearing footsteps on the hardwood floor behind him, Derek stopped. "Where are you going?"

Derek sighed and turned around to face Gabrielle. "I have to walk Bob," he told her, hoping she would go and watch the movie with her brother.

"Can I please come?" When Derek didn't answer right away, she clasped her hands in front of her and added "Pretty, pretty please? I promise I'll help."

Putting Bob down on the floor, he ran a hand through his hair, noting that it felt a lot shorter than he remembered. "Okay, but you have to get dressed first," he told her, not wanting to hurt her feelings by saying no.

Gabrielle smiled a big toothy smile and held up her arms to Derek. He looked at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she wanted. Realizing she probably needed help to get dressed, and wanted to be carried, he lifted and placed her on his hip.

Making their way up the stairs, Derek was pleased to see that two doors had wooden signs on the front, one saying _Gabrielle_ and the other saying _Derek_. Opening Gabrielle's door, he was shocked to see what he would have expected to be a boy's room. Although the walls were painted a pale yellow, almost everything had to do with hockey. The bedspread had the Maple Leaf's emblem on it, there was a hockey stick lamp on a desk and a jersey with the name Venturi thumb tacked to the wall.

Putting her down, Derek asked "What do you want to wear today?"

Gabrielle looked him over and went to her closet. Derek walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer. Grabbing a pair of white socks, he turned and sat on her bed. A few seconds later, Gabrielle came back into the room with a pair of dark blue jeans and an orange shirt that said _Daddy's Little Girl _across the front.

Derek smiled, feeling his chest swell with pride and happiness. Shaking his head, trying to ignore the feeling, he helped Gabrielle change out of the hockey jersey she slept in and into the clothes. Bringing her back down the stairs, he slipped into his sneakers and helped her into her own.

Walking back into the living to get Bob, Derek addressed his son. "Gabby and I are going to take Bob for a walk." Derek watched as his son patted the dog on his head and nudged him off the couch again. "Your uh . . . mom is upstairs in the shower okay?"

Derek Jr looked up and nodded his head. Derek once again picked up the dog and turned to leave the room to meet Gabrielle by the front door. Clipping the lead onto Bob's collar, Derek held Gabrielle's outstretched hand and opened the door.

Meanwhile, Casey had finished her shower, dressed and ran a brush quickly through her hair. She left the bedroom and saw Derek Jr entering his own room, still in his pajamas.

"Hey mom," he greeted when he noticed her.

"Hi. Finish your movie?" she asked.

"Yeah." He answered, walking into his room to get dressed.

Casey made her way down the stairs and walked into the office that she noticed earlier that morning, her eyes quickly sweeping the room.

On one of the walls that could not be seen from the hallway, there were a lot of coloring book pages ripped out and taped to the wall, along with a few hand drawn pictures. She realized that this was the wall that Gabrielle was talking about during breakfast. After looking them over for a few minutes, Casey turned to see at the rest of the room.

As she was making her way over to the bookcase, someone called out to her.

"Mom, I came to return this." Derek Jr said as he held out a stack of papers.

Grabbing them, Casey flipped through them quickly and decided that she was given a manuscript of a children's book. She looked up and saw that Derek Jr was sitting on the couch, smiling up at her. She gave him a confused look.

His smile turned into a smug grin and he crossed his arms over his chest. "You do this every time you know," he told her. Without letting her respond, he continued. "Yes, it's your newest book. And yes, Dad gave it to me a few days ago to read. If you really didn't want him to get his hands on your books you should really hide them better."

Casey looked down at the papers in her hand and saw her name on the first page. Actually, she saw _Casey Venturi_, but she figured that was her name now. Taking a seat next to him, she flipped to the next page to begin to read

"By the way," he began, causing Casey to look back up at him. "It's really good. You really are a great writer mom." He smiled deviously, reminded Casey who his father was. "Even if you weren't my mom I'd still love it."

With a wide smile due to the blunt yet sincere comment, Casey leaned over, dropping the forgotten story to the floor, and gave Derek Jr a big hug. "You know," she said while pulling back and ruffling his hair a bit, "you're too good to me. And a little too smart for your age."

"Yeah I know," he said rolling his eyes while his smile broadened. "Dad always tells me they're my best qualities . . . and that I get them from you."

Before Casey could process what was said, they both heard the front door close and Gabrielle's feet running down the hallway. "Derek," she called in a sing-song voice.

"Coming," Derek Jr called back. He stood, gave Casey a kiss on the cheek and left the room.

Standing up, Casey walked over to the bookcase and scanned through the books. Among the shelves and shelves of books, she found 7 children's stories and 2 novels that she had apparently written.

Grabbing one of the novels, she made her way back over to the couch and turned the book over to read the summary. Derek walked into the room and flopped down in one of the arm chairs opposite her.

"I am never walking that thing again," he said, gaining her attention. "It's not a dog, it's a beast. I give the leash to Gabrielle for 2 seconds and it pulls her halfway down the street." He gave a triumphant grin. "Thankfully I'm the famous hockey player that I am; it took me no time to catch up to them and save her."

"Yeah yeah, cool it hot shot." She waved a hand dismissively. "Bob is a schnoodle. I'm sure Marti would be able to catch him."

"I saved our daughter's life and you can't even thank me." He crossed his arms over his chest. "No wonder I'm her favorite."

Casey looked up and placed the book in her lap. "What?"

"You heard me. If she wasn't my kid I would think she was an obsessed fan. Her room is filled with hockey stuff." A thoughtful look graced his face. "Watch this. . . Gabby" he said loud enough for the little girl to hear.

"Yeah," she answered coming in the room. Casey looked over her outfit and raised an eyebrow at Derek.

"I was just wondering what you and your brother are doing," Derek asked with a smug grin.

"He's reading me a book," she answered before leaving the room.

Derek turned back to Casey with that smug grin still in place. "You picked out her outfit," Casey accused.

"Nope," he shook his head. "She picked it out herself. Not only is she wearing the same color" he gestured to his own orange shirt, "but it also says _Daddy's Little Girl_ on it."

"Yeah well," she faltered, not knowing what to say. "Derek like my books."

Derek opened his mouth to respond, until he realized he didn't understand what Casey was trying to convey. He leaned forward in his chair, "What? He likes your books?"

"Oh right," Casey said while tossing the book from her lap to Derek. "I'm an author." Casey watched Derek skim the back of the book, before he turned it over and his mouth dropped open. "What?" she asked.

Derek turned the book to face Casey while pointing to a sticker in the corner. "This is part of Oprah's Book Club."

"No way!" she exclaimed while taking the book back. She fingered the sticker in amazement while Derek stared at her, shock evident on both their faces.

"Wait," Derek said while eyeing the book in her hands. "That book's a good 500 pages, how can a 6 year old read and enjoy it?" He watched Casey pick up the papers by her feet and hand them over to him. "So, you write children's books too?" he asked after flipping through the sheets, stopping himself from asking why it said Venturi after her name and not MacDonald.

"Apparently I do," she put the book down on the cushion next to her. Rubbing her temples she said "I think I'm getting a headache."

To her surprise, Derek spoke. "I saw some aspirin in one of the kitchen cabinets this morning. The one right above the sink."

Smiling, Casey left the room and headed down the hallway towards the kitchen. She found the aspirin and poured herself a glass of water. After she swallowed, Derek Jr and Gabrielle, followed by Bob, entered the kitchen.

"Mom," Derek Jr started, "Can we play outside in the yard with Bob?"

Casey glanced out the window above the sink, making sure that the backyard was enclosed before answering. "Promise to be very careful?" she asked when she noticed the swing set and slide.

"Always," they said in unison.

She nodded and watched them leave out the sliding doors to the side of the refrigerator. Eyeing them for a moment, she turned and refilled her glass.

"Derek, you want something to drink?" She called.

"Sure," she heard from the living room. "Anything's fine."

Pouring Derek a glass of water as well, she swung the door to the living room open. Derek stood next to the television, running his fingers along the movies on one of the shelves.

"There's an entire shelf of home videos. I was going to tell you about them." She walked up to him and handed him a glass. "I was wondering if you think it would be weird if we watched some. To see what . . . um you know . . . what life's like." Casey finished with slight embarrassment.

"Alright," he agreed. "But not that one," he said pointing at the one that said _Our Wedding_.

She laughed uncomfortably and said, "I had no intentions of watching it, whether you wanted to or not."

Derek and Casey spent about 2 hours watching bits and pieces of several movies, which consisted of birthdays, holidays and family vacations. Both were relieved that their parents were in a few of them, easing their worries about Marti's party the next day. Gabrielle and Derek Jr came back inside after a while and Casey left to help them get a puzzle down from a shelf in Gabrielle's room.

Entering the living room again, she found Derek sifting through the movies.

"Hey, this one was in the corner and the label only has a smiley face on it." He turned to show it to Casey. "Want to check it out?"

"Why not?" she said while settling into the couch.

Derek put the movie in and sat next to Casey. Pressing play on the remote, he put it down and leaned back into the cushions, watching the screen change from black.

_Casey's back was in view. She was wearing blue jeans and a pink tank top. Glancing over her shoulder, she shot the camera a glare._

"_Come on Case," Derek's voice was heard. _

"_No," she stated, bending over the side of a bed and looking through a suitcase. "I can't believe you are even asking."_

"_But . . . but . . . don't you remem-"_

"_Don't you dare Derek." Casey stood and placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at him. "Do you want to sleep on the floor on our honeymoon?"_

_The camera turned and Derek, the cameraman, came into view. "Hmmph. She never lets me have any fun." He nodded his head towards the direction of Casey but kept his eyes on the camera. "She's just lucky I love her or else I'd-"_

_A pink tank top landed on Derek's head, cutting him off. He removed it, his focus now in Casey's direction and a smile on his face. He put the camera down on a table, facing the wall._

_Light smacking, giggling and rustling was heard in the background. The springs of the mattress creaked and more giggling ensued. _

"_Derek," Casey's voice was heard. A muffled response came. "The camera."_

_A groan, followed by the mattress creaking again was heard before a bare-chested Derek knelt in front of the screen. He winked before reaching over to turn off the camera._

When the screen went black, Derek turned to see a red faced Casey. He cleared his throat and was about to speak before Casey pointed to the television.

_Casey was sitting in a hospital bed holding a small baby wrapped in a blue blanket. Derek sat next to her, with an arm wrapped around her shoulder, peering over her at the blue bundle in her arms. _

"_He's perfect," Casey whispered._

_Derek tightened his grip on Casey and smiled. "What did you expect? He takes after his dad."_

_Chuckling, Casey shook her head but kept her eyes on her son. "Derek Venturi," she said to the baby._

"_But we're definitely not calling him Junior," Derek stated seriously while still gazing at his son._

_Casey laughed. "I agree."_

The screen turned black again, but another scene came on immediately after.

_Derek Jr, a little over a year old, was standing next to a coffee table. A pregnant Casey was kneeling a few steps in front of him with her arms out._

"_Come on Derek, you could do it," she said._

_Derek Jr let go of the table, wobbled a bit and grabbed the table again. Casey crawled a little closer to him and stretched her arms out a little further._

"_Come on baby, walk for mommy."_

_He let go again and took about 3 small steps before he fell into Casey's arms. She looked up into the camera with tears in her eyes. _

"_Did you get that Der?"_

The next scene came into focus.

_Casey was lying in a hospital bed with Derek Jr next to her. She was wiggling a small grey elephant in his face, tickling Derek Jr's nose with the trunk of the stuffed animal. Derek was walking next to the bed, gazing at the small pink blanket in his arms._

_Derek gasped, suddenly stopping. He walked up to Casey and dropped a kiss on her forehead. _

"_What is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow._

_He looked at Casey with awe written across his face. "She has your eyes," he smiled and turned back to the baby in his arms._

The next scene started.

_A door was pushed open and Derek's back was to the camera. He was hunched over a crib with one of his hands over the railing._

_As the camera moved closer, a small teddy bear was seen in Derek's hand._

"_This was daddy's bear. His name's Mr. Brown." Derek tucked the teddy bear under the blanket next to Gabrielle and gently pushed her hair to the side. "He's all yours now."_

_The camera moved a little closer and Derek looked up. He smiled and looked back at crib. _

"_Goodnight Gabby. I love you."_

Casey turned and looked at Derek who was staring at the television. "I knew that bear was familiar," he whispered as the screen changed again.

_Soft music was playing as Derek's form retreated from the camera. He met Casey in the middle of the living room and pulled her close to him. She was wearing an elegant black floor length dress, while Derek had a plain black tuxedo on. He wrapped one arm around Casey's waist, while holding one of her hands._

"_Did you have fun tonight Mr. MVP?" she asked._

"_Yes I did, Mrs. MVP." Casey laughed as he dipped her. Pulling her back up, he wrapped both arms around her, causing her to place her arms around his neck._

_They danced slowly for a minute, Casey resting her head on Derek's shoulder. _

"_Do you know what's coming up soon?" Derek asked as he kissed the top of her head._

_Lifting herself off his shoulder, Casey smiled. "Yeah, I remember."_

_Derek kissed the corner of her mouth. After a few moments he asked, "Any regrets?"_

"_Not a one." She sighed when Derek pulled a strap of her dress to the side and placed light kisses from her shoulder to neck. "You?"_

_He pulled back, dropped his mouth to hers for a short, sweet kiss. "None." He went back to nuzzling her neck, pulling her body closer to his. _

"_I love you Derek."_

_Walking with her towards the camera, Derek said "I love you too Casey" before turning it off._

"Mommy," Derek and Casey turned to look at Gabrielle in the doorway. "What's for lunch?"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry again, I meant to get this out sooner but it took a while to write. Again, I'm iffy about this chapter. I kind of feel like it's all over the place. I hope you all like it though.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews, they really mean the world to me. Even with alerts down I received so many reviews (the most so far) for the last chapter. I really hope this story is living up to all of your expectations.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

"Mommy," Derek and Casey turned to look at Gabrielle in the doorway. "What's for lunch?"

Casey looked at the clock on the wall, it was already 2:30 and she wasn't sure what they had in the house to cook.

"Pizza," she heard Derek say. As Gabrielle left the room to inform Derek Jr what they were having for lunch, Casey turned to look at Derek. "I uh, saw a magnet for some pizzeria on the fridge earlier." Derek paused and Casey noticed that he wasn't looking at her, but right over her shoulder, just as she was doing. "Why don't you go order something while I look for my wallet."

Derek stood and walked out of the room before Casey was able to respond. Making her way into the kitchen, she wasn't sure if she was relieved or frustrated that Derek ignored the situation.

Picking up the receiver, Casey dialed the number on the magnet. Realizing that she didn't know her address, she was about to hang up the phone when someone spoke.

"Pete's Pizza, pick-up or delivery?"

"Delivery," Casey said while frantically looking around for something that would tell her where she lived.

"Name?"

"Mac-, Venturi" she corrected herself quickly.

"Casey?" the voice on the other line asked. "How're you doing?"

Hesitating, Casey slowly said "Fine, and yourself?"

"Working, but good. You ordering the usual?"

"Um . . . sure, the usual," she confirmed.

"And do you want me charge it to the card on file?"

"Yeah," Casey sighed in relief at how easy this was going. "That would be great."

"Okay, it's not that busy here so it shouldn't be long before it gets to you. Tell Derek I said hi and give the kids a kiss for me."

"Will do," Casey said while furrowing her eyebrows, wondering how close her family was to this stranger on the phone.

After placing the phone where it belongs, Casey made her way back into the living room. She walked down the hallway, looking for Derek to let him know not to worry about finding money.

Stopping right outside the office, she listened in on what her children were doing. Derek Jr was reading something and Gabrielle kept asking him questions. Leaning over a bit, Casey looked into the room to find them both in the arm chair, a book in Derek Jr's lap.

"What's that word?" Gabrielle asked, pointing to the page.

"Cloak," Derek Jr told her.

"Is that what he's wearing?" She asked while moving her finger over.

"Yup."

Gabrielle tilted her head a little before looking up at her older brother. "It's a big word, isn't it?"

Derek Jr shrugged, "I know some that are bigger."

"Wow," Gabrielle looked at Derek Jr with amazement in her eyes. He smiled, wrapped an arm around her in a half hug before beginning to read the story again.

Casey stood in the doorway for a while, listening to Derek Jr read while Gabrielle looked on and turned the pages for him. They finished the book, and Gabrielle asked if he could read her another. Derek Jr agreed, reaching over and grabbing a book from the table. Casey continued to listen to the children through about half of this new book.

"Psst," made Casey turn around. "What're you doing?"

"Oh," Casey glanced back at the children for a moment before walking towards Derek. "Nothing," she told him.

"I found my wallet," Derek said while holding it up.

"Right, we don't need it anymore. They had a credit card on file so I just charged it." She took a deep breath and was about to speak when the doorbell rang. "I'll get that" she sighed.

Derek nodded and walked past Casey in the direction of the office. She walked to the front door and opened it to a teenager holding out a pizza box and paper bag. Taking the food and putting it on the table next to the door, Casey signed the electronic pad, hoping the tip she left was sufficient .

Carrying the food into the kitchen, Casey saw the children sitting at the table while Derek was pulling cups out of the cabinet. She put the box and bag on the table and turned to the refrigerator to get the pitcher of iced tea.

Placing the pitcher on the counter next to him, she said "Derek-"

"No," he cut her off.

"No what?"

"No," he began while filling the cups, "we are not going to talk about it."

"But-"

"Casey," he lowered his voice. "That wasn't . . . well, it isn't who we are right now. And I don't really want to harp on this. It's just too emotional and confusing."

"Confusing?" she asked.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Tell me you aren't confused." He continued when Casey stayed quiet, glancing down at her feet. "Look, maybe we'll talk about it, just not now. Not in front of them okay?"

"Alright" she conceded, picking up 2 of the cups and turning towards the table.

Grabbing the other 2 cups, Derek also turned around as Gabrielle picked up a mozzarella stick and dipped it in the sauce cup. They watched Derek Jr place a paper plate in front of each of the 4 chairs around the table.

When Derek Jr opened the pizza box, Derek turned towards Casey. "You ordered vegetarian pizza?"

Casey shrugged. "It's our usual." After a moment, Casey faced Derek. "You actually eat vegetables . . . willingly?"

Avoiding her eyes Derek said, "Yeah, they're um, good on pizza. But I don't eat it in front of people."

Watching Derek Jr place a slice on each of the plates, including the one in front of Derek's chair, she smirked. "Obviously, you do."

They sat down at the table and everyone began to eat. Casey and Derek were mostly quiet throughout the meal, occasionally answering a question or making a comment about something the children said. Twenty minutes later, after all of the mozzarella sticks were finished and there were only 3 slices of pizza left, Casey and Derek cleaned up the kitchen while the children left the room.

"Not now." Derek said to Casey's unspoken question. She sighed in defeat and placed the pitcher and tupperware container in the refrigerator.

Casey walked into the living room, followed by Derek. She sat down on the couch while Derek sat in an arm chair on the other side of the coffee table.

"Can we play a game?" Gabrielle asked as she climbed into Derek's lap, sitting across his knees. Derek smirked in Casey's direction while putting an arm around Gabrielle's to stabilize her.

"Sure, what did you guys have in mind?"

Derek Jr opened a cabinet near the television and began sifting though the boxes. "How about Scrabble Junior?" he asked, pulling the game out and placing it on the coffee table.

"Girls vs. boys, girls vs. boys" Gabrielle shrieked.

"What?" Derek asked in confusion. "You don't want to be on my team?" Gabrielle shook her head no. "But why?"

She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Cause Mommy's really smart," she said as if it was obvious.

Casey covered her mouth, trying to stop the laughter from exploding out of her. She slid off the couch and on to the floor, helping Derek Jr set up the game. Gabrielle sat down next to Casey, whispering to her that they were going to win.

When Derek scoffed, his son said "It's alright Dad, I have faith in us," while patting the floor next to him, on the opposite side of the table from Casey and Gabrielle.

"Me too, we'll show 'em," Derek said as he sat down on the floor, reaching into the bag to pull out his first letter.

About 2 hours later, the two males were shaking their heads at the 2 person conga-line dancing around the living room.

"Girls rule, boys drool, haha haha ha ha!" Casey and Gabrielle said laughing.

"They do this every time" Derek Jr moaned.

Derek rolled his eyes in Casey and Gabrielle's direction, annoyed at their antics. A slow smile crept onto his face as he leaned over and whispered in his son's ear. Derek Jr nodded his head and grinned.

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . ."

Oblivious to the countdown, the girls were walking in front of the couch when "now" was screamed out.

Derek jumped over the table and tackled Casey into the couch. She fell on her back, Derek landing on top of her. They heard the giggles of Gabrielle from the floor, where Derek Jr was currently tickling her.

"Don't you dare Derek," Casey said, preparing herself for the inevitable.

The giggling stopped and now both children were leaning over the arm of the couch, looking at their parents. "Do it! Do it!" they both chorused.

"Sorry Case," Derek smiled down at her. "Majority rules."

Derek's hands moved to her side and started lightly moving over the skin showing from where her shirt raised. She began wriggling beneath him, begging him to stop. He continued, laughing at her flushed face and gasps for air.

Several moments later, Derek let up and stopped tickling Casey. He remained on top on her, supporting his weight by his elbows on either side of her body. Both were breathing heavily, but smiling at each other.

The doorbell ringing surprised Derek, making him fall onto the floor next to the couch, causing the three other people in the room to laugh at him. Casey lifted herself from the couch and stepped over Derek, making her way to the front door.

A 16 year old girl walked into the house when Casey opened the door. "Hey Mrs. Venturi."

"Casey," she said quickly.

The girl laughed and shook her head. "You know my mom, I have to show respect to my elders." Casey frowned at this comment, thinking she was only about 2 years older than this stranger in her house.

"Julia," Gabrielle called, running towards the girl and giving her a hug. "I didn't know you were watching us tonight."

"Yup, I am." She waved at Derek Jr while picking up Gabrielle. "What do you guys want to do tonight?"

"Oh, we don't really need a babysitter tonight." Derek said as he stood next to Casey, sensing her anxiety. "Sorry we forgot to call you."

"What do you mean? Can you even take the kids with you?" Julia paused as she looked at Derek and Casey, noticing their casual clothing. "You're going to be late if you don't go get changed."

"Uh, Julia . . . where exactly are we going?" Casey asked.

Julia raised an eyebrow, looking between Derek and Casey. "What's going on with the two of you? You've been looking forward to your high school reunion for like a month now and now it's like you forgot it was tonight."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I lied in chapter 5 . . . this is actually the longest chapter. Again, I'm worried about it, but I hope everyone likes it. I also hope that it isn't too confusing. If I get too many complaints, I'll try to fix and repost it.

Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews. They mean a lot. :)

Also, if you read Inulover4eva's review for chapter 1 it might make the end (and song) a little easier to understand.

**Bold – music **

_Italics – Casey singing_

_**Bold and italics – Derek singing**_

Barenaked ladies – One Week

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Julia raised an eyebrow, looking between Derek and Casey. "What's going on with the two of you? You've been looking forward to your high school reunion for like a month now and now it's like you forgot it was tonight."

"Nothing's going on," Casey said rather loud and quickly. "I mean, I don't think we're really in the mood to go out tonight."

"Nonsense," Julia waved a hand dismissively while adjusting Gabrielle on her hip. "I'm already here, so go have some fun."

Casey was about to open her mouth when Derek leaned in and whispered "Come on Case, it might be fun. And we could see how everyone else turned out."

"Fine," she sighed at the pleading look on Derek's face. "Can I speak with Derek for a moment, alone?" She asked Julia, who nodded and entered the living room with Gabrielle and Derek Jr.

"What's up?" he asked when they were alone.

"Can you go into the office and see if you can find an invitation or something for directions, while I go upstairs and get ready? I think I saw a stack of mail near the computer."

"Sure," he said walking with Casey towards the foot of the stairs. "I'll, um knock when I get upstairs . . . wouldn't want to see anything more than I should," he said remembering that morning.

She smiled at the slight pink tinge on Derek's cheek, before turning and walking up the stairs.

Derek entered the office and sat down in the chair in front of the computer. He picked up the stack of envelopes and began to flip through them. On the top was a white envelope, with _Congratulations Marti_ written across the front in Casey's handwriting. Derek figured it was her for her party the next day and set it to the side.

The rest of the mail consisted of bills, a letter from Derek Jr and Gabrielle's school with a list of items they needed for the next school year and a letter from Casey's editor. Derek finally found an envelope with Sir John Sparrow Thompson High School's address in the top corner.

It was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Venturi, inviting them to the 10-year high school reunion on June 23rd, 2017 at 7pm. There were standard directions included, but Derek had no idea how to get there from where they lived.

Moving the mouse, the computer monitor changed from the black 'standby' screen to its normal background. And image of Casey, himself and their two children came into focus. They were standing on a beach, the children playing in the sand while Derek was leaning in to kiss Casey. He shook his head and clicked on the internet icon, finding a directions website. He typed in his address he found on the envelope, as well as the one for the Hilton.

Derek grabbed the papers off the printer and headed up the stairs to his bedroom. "Case," he called while knocking on the door.

"You can come in Derek, I'm in the bathroom," he heard Casey say from inside the room.

Derek went into the room, closing the door behind him and walked over to the closet. After disregarding most of the clothes, he settled on a casual looking black suit and a dark red dress shirt. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.

Casey turned off the water and said "Yeah?"

"I'm going to get changed, so don't come out."

"Kay," she said before turning the water back on.

He quickly undressed, then redressed, deciding against wearing a tie and leaving the top two buttons undone. "I'm finished," he said while sitting on the bed and tying the laces of his shoes.

"Well, you clean up nicely," caused Derek to look up from the floor.

Casey was standing in front of the open bathroom door in a pale blue shirt and knee length flowing black skirt, placing earrings in her ears.

"What can I say?" He smirked while walking to the bathroom, nudging Casey with his shoulder as he passed. Derek opened the cabinet and put toothpaste on his toothbrush. He walked to the doorway and leaned on the frame, watching Casey slip into her shoes. "You look nice too," he mumbled with the toothbrush on the side of his mouth.

She smiled, then laughed lightly, following Derek into the bathroom. As he spat and rinsed the toothbrush, Casey wet a towel and moved closer to Derek. She reached up and wiped his collar, gently brushing it with her thumb when she was finished.

"Oh," she said after she looked up and saw Derek staring at her with a questioning look. "You had a bit of toothpaste on your shirt," she blushed.

Derek looked down at Casey's hand still holding his collar, and the small wet spot on it. "Thanks," he whispered as Casey dropped her hand. "We should get going. It's about half an hour away and it's already 6:35."

Tossing the towel on the counter, Casey walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She grabbed a light jacket and a small handbag, which she put her own wallet and lipstick in earlier. Derek grabbed his own jacket and the directions off the bed, turning off the light and closing the door. He followed Casey down the stairs.

"We're leaving," Casey said while slipping into her jacket.

Julia came out of the living room, Gabrielle and Derek Jr behind her. "Have fun," she said while the children hugged Casey and Derek goodbye.

"The kids-," Derek began.

"I know, I know," Julia cut him off. "Derek's going to take his shower in a few minutes and I'm going to give Gabby a bath afterwards. They already told me they had a late lunch so I'll make them something small in a little while." She began to push them in the direction of the front door. "Now go and have some fun. I'll see you around midnight."

Derek grabbed a set of car keys that were hanging on a hook near the door before closing it behind him.

"Don't you think I should drive?" Casey asked when the door was closed.

"Why?" Derek questioned while figuring out which button unlocked the doors.

"Um . . . I'm the better driver."

Derek rolled his eyes and held the keys in front of him, pressing the unlock button. The lights to a new, expensive looking SUV across the street turned on and they heard the doors unlock. Casey felt Derek put the keys into her hand as they started walking across to their car.

She looked at him as he shrugged and said "It's too pretty, I don't want to hurt it."

Getting into the driver's side, Casey wasn't surprised to find out she didn't need to adjust the seat or mirrors. She pulled onto the road and the only conversation was Derek telling her the directions to the hotel. Casey parked the car and handed Derek the keys, complaining that they didn't fit in her bag.

They walked into the hotel and saw a sign indicating the reunion was to the left. They stopped in front of a desk that was situated next to the closed doors of the hall.

"Name," the young man at the desk said before looking up. "Oh, wow, Derek Venturi," he said while flipping through the name tags, handing Derek two of the pre-printed stickers.

Looking down, Derek peeled off the one that said _Derek Venturi_ and placed it on his shirt. He peeled the one that said _Casey Venturi_, handing Casey the sticker portion while throwing the backings away in the trashcan next to the desk.

"Have fun sir," the excited hotel employee said, fidgeting slightly in his seat.

Derek walked over to the doors and was about to open them when he realized Casey wasn't next to him. He turned to see her a few steps behind him, playing with the edge of her shirt. He stepped closer to her and grabbed her elbow, pulling her with him to the doors.

"Wait," she said, making him stop. "What if . . . what if they make fun of us or . . . or . . ."

"Casey," she looked up into his eyes. "Why would they make fun of us?" She held up her left hand and pointed to the ring on her finger. "Oh, right . . . that. Well, we could just leave. Besides" he began as he pulled open the door, hand still on Casey's arm. "I'm Derek Venturi; no one makes fun of Derek Venturi."

"Right," she mumbled, plastering a fake smile on her face for the people looking at them. "How could I ever forget?"

"Casey, Casey Venturi," she turned to the familiar voice. "I know you didn't plan on sitting anywhere else than next to me."

"Em?" Casey asked, taking in the appearance of her best friend. Emily ran up to Casey, wrapping her in a big hug. When she pulled back, Casey had no doubts that the woman in front of her was Emily. As well as Derek and Casey, she looked the same, just slightly aged.

"Hey Derek," Emily said, giving him a hug as well. "How're the kids doing?"

"Just fine," Derek answered, as if he had this conversation daily. "Have you seen Sam?"

"Um," Emily looked around. "Oh, he's over by the bar. Let's go say hello."

Derek and Casey followed Emily to the corner of the room, waving to random people who waved at them. When they reached the bar, an older looking Sam smiled and hugged Casey, then Derek.

"You just arrived?"

"Yeah," Derek said eying the liquor behind. Casey followed his gaze and shook her head before stepping closer to him, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"No Derek," she warned in a low voice so only he could hear. He looked at her, narrowing his eyes, about to tell her she wasn't his mother. "You are not getting drunk and blurting out our situation in front of all these people."

The look on her face made Derek surrender, understanding where Casey was coming from. "Two cokes," he told the server.

Casey smiled triumphantly and turned to see Emily and Sam wide eyed, excitement written across their faces. "What?" she asked.

"How far along are you?"

Derek turned and shared a confused look with Casey. "How far along is she what?" he said while handing Casey her drink.

"Pregnant Derek," Emily squealed, smile getting wider.

Casey spit out her drink while Derek paled, cautiously patting Casey's back as she coughed. "You're not, are you?" Derek whispered in Casey's ear. She frowned, hoping she wasn't.

"Come on man, the only time you don't drink when we all get together is when Casey's pregnant because she can't." Sam looked between them before putting his hands up. "Alright, if you want to keep it a big secret until you tell everyone, that's fine with me. But congratulations anyway."

Before Casey or Derek could say anything, Emily pulled Casey away, telling her they were going to say hello to a few friends. They walked around the room, making small talk to people Casey didn't remember saying one word to during the three years she spent with them in high school. After the eighth or ninth forced 'hello, how have you been' and hug that went along with it, Emily dragged Casey into the restroom to touch up her make-up.

"So . . ." Casey said, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Don't ask," Emily said.

Intrigued, Casey couldn't help herself. "Don't ask what?"

Emily sighed. "Greg . . . we're getting a divorce."

"I'm so sorry Em," Casey said, genuinely upset for her friend.

"Why?" Emily asked as she caught Casey's eyes in the mirror. "Weren't you the one who never liked him? 'You could do so much better than that scum' or whatever it was you would always call him."

"It's just, you know, sad and all."

"Yeah," she agreed. "But it's for the best. We weren't right for each other. Besides," Casey noticed the grin that graced her face. "Sheldon isn't with anyone and is looking quite delectable tonight."

Casey gagged, trying to hide it behind her hand.

Emily rolled her eyes while re-capping her lipstick. "We can't all be like you Casey." She continued at the puzzled look Casey gave her. "Every single female here is jealous that you landed the hottest guy ever, who won't even look at any of them like he looks at you. And even if he does, it's not like any of them would do anything, because he's completely devoted and you'd probably kill them." Emily smiled, pulling Casey out of the bathroom towards the table Derek and Sam were sitting at.

Meanwhile, as Casey and Emily made their way around the room, Derek and Sam sat down at one of the tables, Derek taking his jacket off and placing it behind his chair. A few of Derek and Sam's male friends stopped by the table to say hello or congratulate Derek on the past hockey season.

"Ask me how Tori is," Sam said excitedly.

"Okay," Derek said, wondering who she was. "How's Tori?"

Sam beamed. "She's great. Couldn't make it tonight because her sister is having a baby, but she told me to come anyway. I might leave early though and stop off at the hospital. Anyway, my point is that I'm going to ask her this weekend."

"Ask her what?" Derek questioned, eyes scanning the room.

"To marry me."

"What?" Derek said, spinning back to look at his smiling best friend. "I mean, congratulations man. I'm sure she'll yes."

Sam's eyes glazed over and Derek noticed they weren't focused on anything in particular. "I hope so. I can't wait to have what you and Case have."

Derek placed his elbow on the table and leaned his chin on his fist. "And what, exactly, do Casey and I have?"

"Perfection," Sam stated simply before Emily and Casey took their seats at the table.

Over the next twenty minutes Casey, Derek, Sam and Emily were joined by a few more of their old classmates. Everyone was talking about their jobs and families, Derek and Casey trying to stay out of the conversation as best as they could.

"So, do you guys have any pictures of the little ones?" Sheldon asked, a little tipsy, hanging all over a happy Emily.

Casey shook her head no, knowing that she didn't have anything in her bag. Derek reached into his pocket and removed his wallet. He took out the picture section, looking at the first one of Gabrielle and Derek Jr, trying to remember what home movie he recognized it from.

"Hey," he leaned over Casey so only she could hear him, blocking half her body from the rest of the occupants of the table. "What Halloween was it that Derek and Gabby were both clowns?"

She bit her lip thinking, turning to face him. "I think it was Derek's fourth, Gabby's second," she said, leaning a little closer to him to take the picture out of his hand to look at it. She nodded and he smiled, turning toward the rest of the table.

Six faces looked at them, all smiling knowingly. Casey gave them a weird look before handing the pictures to Sheldon.

"Their so cute," he said, flipping through the pictures. Derek's smile turned into a smug grin at Sheldon's admission. "And, you guys make a great couple. I bet you are the longest lasting couple in our entire graduating class, and the most successful."

"Sheldon, you're rambling," Emily told him, putting a finger up to his lips.

Before Derek or Casey could register how happy and accomplished they were as a couple, someone tapped Casey on the shoulder.

"Would you like to dance?" a red head asked Casey. She nodded, taking off her jacket and placing it on her chair.

Derek scowled at Casey's retreating form. After two fast paced songs, his mood grew darker as the red head pulled Casey close to his body at the beginning of the slow song. Derek was gripping his glass so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

"Derek?"

"What?" he snapped, turning away from the hand on Casey's lower back to face Sam.

"You alright?"

"Fine," Derek said, slamming him glass down and turning back to see Casey laughing.

"It's only Tinker."

"Tinker? Tinker!" Derek said, turning back to Sam. "That's Tinker," he pointed behind him. "As in the person who was madly in love with Casey all through high school, Tinker?"

"Well, yeah. But . . ." Derek didn't hear the rest of Sam's statement because he stood up and starting walking towards the dance floor.

Derek came up behind Tinker, roughly tapping him on his shoulder. "I'm cutting in," he stated, pushing himself between the two of them.

"Okay . . . I'll talk to you soon Casey," Tinker said, before giving Derek a confused look and walking away.

Casey shoved Derek away from her. "What the hell was that?"

"I should be asking you the same thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We," he pointed to Casey, then to himself, "are supposed to be married. You can't just go around dancing with people who used to be in love with you. It'll cause people to talk."

She stared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. After a moment she said, "That's not it at all, is it? You're jealous aren't you?"

"Huh? Wha . . ." his mouth opened and closed a few times. "You . . . you're crazy Casey."

"I don't think I am. I think you're jealous that someone asked me to dance and all of your little 'fan-girls' won't even say hello to you."

"That's not even it Casey." Derek said shaking his head, wishing that was the reason he was so angry. "He was in love with you for three years. Who knows, he might still be in love with you."

Casey ignored him and continued with her rant. "And do you want to know why they won't go near you? Because apparently we're so much in love that neither of us have eyes for anyone else so they don't even bother anymore."

He gulped, thinking about Sam saying they were perfect and Sheldon saying they made a great couple.

"Besides, Tinker is happily married. All he spoke about was his wife and baby that's on the way." She paused, beginning again in a softer voice. "And he's my editor Derek. He said that you sent him an email, saying my latest children's story was my best one yet." She turned to walk away, but he heard her say "sometimes you're such a jerk."

Casey walked back to the table and sat down, avoiding everyone's eyes. She couldn't believe that Derek would treat her like she was cheating on him. It wasn't even like they were dating. But most of all, she couldn't believe that he thought that she would do something like that, after all they went through together that day. She thought they had made a lot of progress.

However, she knew she kind of freaked out. What Tinker said had gotten to her. He said that Derek's email was full of praise and love, and it completely confused Casey. So, yelling at him was the only way to rid her of the odd thoughts she had about him.

"Look Case," Derek started as he sat down next to her.

"No."

"But-"

"Not now."

"Later?" he asked hopefully. She nodded slightly.

Everyone at the table sat quietly, staring at the two. "Every time," Emily muttered to Sam.

"I know, always jealous for no reason," he mock whispered, gaining him a glare from both Derek and Casey.

After a few minutes of complete silence at the table, Derek shot out of his chair, grabbed Casey's arm and dragged her onto the dance floor.

"One week," he exclaimed when the song began.

**It's been one week since you looked at me  
Cocked your head to the side and said "I'm angry"  
Five days since you laughed at me saying  
"Get that together come back and see me"  
Three days since the living room  
I realized it's all my fault, but couldn't tell you  
Yesterday you'd forgiven me  
but it'll still be two days till I say I'm sorry**

"What're you doing?" Casey asked as she tried to keep up with Derek.

"If you don't want to talk, then we're going to dance. I know you like this song." Derek started dancing around Casey's still form, making funny faces at her. He began to pull at her sleeve, trying to make her move.

**Hold it now and watch the hoodwink  
As I make you stop, think  
You'll think you're looking at Aquaman  
I summon fish to the dish, although I like the Chalet Swiss  
I like the sushi  
'cause it's never touched a frying pan  
Hot like wasabe when I bust rhymes  
Big like LeAnn Rimes  
Because I'm all about value**

**Bert Kaempfert's got the mad hits**

Casey bit her lip, trying not to smile at Derek's idiocy. She finally gave in and began to sing along with the song, moving slightly to the music.

"_You try to match wits, you try to hold me but I bust through  
Gonna make a break and take a fake  
I'd like a stinkin achin shake  
I like vanilla, it's the finest of the flavours."_

She smiled when Derek stopped, mouth hanging open at how she knew every word. Casey danced around Derek this time, laughing as she sang the lyrics.

"_Gotta see the show, cause then you'll know  
The vertigo is gonna grow  
Cause it's so dangerous,  
you'll have to sign a waiver."_

Derek poked Casey's arm, making her stop singing as he began.

"_**How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad  
Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad." **_

He nodded his head as he continued.

"_**I'm the kind of guy who laughs at a funeral  
Can't understand what I mean?  
Well, you soon will  
I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve  
I have a history of taking off my shirt"**_

Derek ended the verse by unbuttoning the tops three closed buttons on his shirt, causing Casey to blush and push him in his chest.

"**_It's been one week since you looked at me  
Threw your arms in the air  
and said 'You're crazy'"_**

"_Five days since you tackled me  
I've still got the rug burns on both my knees  
It's been three days since the afternoon  
You realized it's not my fault  
not a moment too soon"_

"_**Yesterday you'd forgiven me"**_

Casey crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she sang:

"_And now I sit back and wait til you say you're sorry"_

Derek shrugged, seized Casey's hand and pulled her body against his. She laughed and began dancing with him. He spun her a few times, watching as her skirt twirled with her movements. Derek pulled her in to him again, wrapped an arm around her waist and dipped her. He bent over with her, watching as her eyes sparkled with amusement.

"_**Chickity China the Chinese chicken  
You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin'  
Watchin' X-Files with no lights on  
We're dans la maison  
I hope the Smoking Man's in this one  
Like Harrison Ford I'm getting frantic  
Like Sting I'm tantric  
Like Snickers, guaranteed to satisfy"**_

He let go of Casey again, dancing around her, while she danced in place, her eyes following him.

"_Like Kurasawa I make mad films  
Okay, I don't make films  
But if I did they'd have a Samurai  
Gonna get a set a' better clubs  
Gonna find the kind with tiny nubs  
Just so my irons aren't always flying off the back-swing  
Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon  
'Cause the cartoon has got the boom anime babes  
That make me think the wrong thing"_

Derek poked her again, walking closer to Casey as he sang the next part, sincerity clearly expressed in his eyes.

"_**How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad  
Tryin' hard not to smile though I feel bad  
I'm the kind of guy who laughs at a funeral  
Can't understand what I mean?  
Well, you soon will  
I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve  
I have a history of losing my shirt"**_

Just as he was about to go for the next button, Casey stepped forward and grabbed the sides of Derek's shirt near his neck. She pulled him closer to her, clutching the material, shaking her head no with a smile on her face.

"_It's been one week since you looked at me  
Dropped your arms to your sides  
and said 'I'm sorry'"_

"_**Five days since I laughed at you and said **_

'**_You just did just what I thought you were gonna do'"_**

"_Three days since the living room  
We realized we're both to blame,  
but what could we do?"_

"_**Yesterday you just smiled at me"**_

Casey smiled at him, her face becoming very serious.

"_Cause it'll still be two days till we say we're sorry"_

Derek's face too became serious.

"_**Cause it'll still be two days till we say we're sorry"**_

"_Cause it'll still be two days till we say we're sorry"_

Derek mumbled the last line, not entirely sure what it was, causing both to dissolve in a fit of giggles. Derek was bent over with his hands on his knees and Casey was leaning against his side, holding her stomach.

Neither remembered the argument they had moments before or noticed the crowd around them clapping.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I feel terrible that it took so long for me to get this out, please forgive me. I have had a lot on my plate with school and work. I actually should be doing school work right now . . . but I decided updating this story was better than studying for a test. I really hope you all like it.

Thanks so much for all the reviews. You all are truly amazing.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Still laughing, Derek and Casey managed to walk across the dance floor to the bar situated in the corner of the room. Derek stood next to a stool that Casey collapsed into, his hand supporting his body as he leaned on the counter next to Casey.

Holding up two fingers, Derek gasped "Two waters please" between the deep breaths he was taking. Casey grabbed the two bottles and spun on the stool to face Derek. The flushed cheeks, heavy breathing and tears in the corner of their eyes caused both to break down again, laughing uncontrollably.

Casey finally sobered enough to hand Derek his bottle, open her own and gulp down half the contents. "That was . . . the most fun I've had . . ."

"In ten years?" Derek asked, trying to maintain a straight face. Neither was able to and they once again began to laugh.

"Well, I'm glad that worked out, no need to thank me though." Sam said, coming up behind them and clapping Derek on the back.

"What're you talking about?" Derek asked, recapping his empty water bottle and placing it on the counter.

Sam rolled his eyes while gesturing behind him towards the dance floor. "Your favorite song works every time."

"Our what?" They said in unison.

"Mr. and Mrs. Venturi," the DJ spoke into the microphone from the stage. "You have a phone call at the front desk. Mr. and Mrs. Venturi, phone call at the front desk."

Derek looked over at Casey, who shrugged and stood from her stool. They walked through the crowd to the doors of the hall. Walking across the lobby to the front desk, they passed the still fidgeting hotel employee, giving out name tags to those people still arriving.

An elderly man was standing behind the desk and asked "Mr. Venturi?" when Derek and Casey stopped in front of him. Derek nodded and the man picked up the receiver, pressed a button and handed it to Derek.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Venturi? Oh thank god. I tried calling both your cell phones but you left them at home. I heard them ringing from your bedroom."

"Slow down," Derek said, realizing it was his children's babysitter, who was speaking very fast. "Who's crying?" he asked when she stopped speaking, hearing the wails in the background.

Casey's eyes widened, hearing that someone was crying. She moved closer to Derek and stood on her toes to place her cheek on the other side of the phone, trying to hear the other side of the conversation.

"Oh, right. That's the reason I called. After Derek and Gabby finished their baths and ate dinner they wanted to build a tent in the living room. I went to get extra blankets from the hall closet upstairs when I heard someone crying. I ran to the living room and Gabby was sitting on the floor crying. Derek didn't see what happened and Gabby won't let me anywhere near her and . . . ."

"Jamie, calm down," Derek said cutting her off.

"Julia," Casey hissed, while staring worriedly at the phone.

"Whatever, look is there any blood or are her limbs bent at weird angles?" Derek asked.

"Um, I . . . I don't think so. I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to ruin your night. I can call an ambulance or my mom or something."

"Don't worry about it, we'll be home soon." He hung up the phone and turned to Casey. "Go grab our things and I'll pull the car to the front," he didn't wait for a reply before heading towards the front doors and pulling the keys out of his pocket.

Casey turned and ran to the hall where the reunion was being held. Grateful that their table was close to the door, she quickly grabbed the two jackets and her bag.

"What was that about?" Emily asked coming up besides Casey.

"Something happened at home. I don't think it's bad but we are leaving anyway."

"Alright," Emily gave her a quick hug. "Call me and let me know what happened." Casey nodded and continued walking, ignoring everyone on her way out of the hotel.

The car was waiting out front like Derek said it would be. Casey climbed into the passenger side, tossing the jackets and her bag into the back seat. Before Casey was able to buckle her seat belt, Derek was already pulling out of the parking lot.

Derek drove back to their house, using his memory from the ride to the hotel to navigate. He ignored Casey's screams of 'slow down' and 'you're going to get us killed' throughout the entire ride. They reached their house by 8:30, arriving about 20 minutes after leaving the hotel, when the trip there took about 35 minutes.

Parking the car in front of the house, Derek turned off the car. Casey followed him into the house and down the hall to the living room.

Julia was sitting on the couch, nervously biting her nails and looking at the two children on the floor. Derek Jr was kneeling next to Gabrielle, with an arm around her. He was ssh-ing her and patting her back, trying to calm Gabrielle down.

Casey watched as Derek sat on the floor next to the children. He gathered Gabrielle into his arms, smoothing her hair and wiping the tears off her face. He rocked her back and forth until her breathing calmed to where she was slightly hiccupping every now and then. Gabrielle loosened her grasp on Derek's still unbuttoned shirt and leaned back to look up at him.

"You want to tell me what happened?" Derek asked softly, surprising Casey with the concern in his voice.

Gabrielle nodded, opened her mouth but started crying again. Derek pulled her closer to his body, tucking her head into the crook of his neck.

"I . . . I was on the couch and . . . and," she hiccupped and rubbed her face on his shirt. "And I jumped off to help Julia get the blankets, but I . . . I tripped and fell on the table and hur . . . hurt my foot." She trailed off, passing her small hand across her face.

Derek lifted her and sat her on the coffee table in front of him. "Let's take a look," he said pointing to her right foot. She shook her head and wiggled her sock covered left foot. He carefully removed the sock and noticed that a bruise was forming on the top of her foot.

Brining her foot closer to his face, Derek brushed his lips over the forming bruise. "All better?" he asked. Gabrielle wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, nodded and leapt into Derek's outstretched arms.

Casey was transfixed by the scene in front of her that she hadn't realized Julia come up next to her. It wasn't until Julia tapped her on the shoulder did Casey turn away from Derek's retreating form, who was carrying Gabrielle towards the stairs, Derek Jr following them.

"I'm really sorry Mrs. Venturi. I didn't know what happened and she wouldn't tell me. I hope I didn't ruin your evening."

"Don't worry about it," Casey said as she walked Julia to the front door. "You didn't ruin anything."

"Good," she breathed. "Mr. Venturi is really good with the kids, isn't he?"

A small smile crept onto Casey's face. "Yeah," she answered, thinking about Derek's interactions with Marti when she was younger and what he had just done. Casey opened the front door, but then turned to Julia. "Oh, I'm not sure where I put my bag, just give me a minute to look for it."

"No, no. Just add it on next time." Julia waved as she walked down the sidewalk in what Casey presumed was the direction of her house.

Closing and locking the door, Casey made her way back through the house and up the stairs. She glanced into Derek Jr's room, but it was empty and the light was off. Walking over to the next door, Casey saw Derek sitting at the foot of Gabrielle's bed, with Gabrielle in his lap. Derek Jr was in front of a bookcase, grabbing a book from the middle shelf.

"Right on time," Derek Jr said, climbing onto the bed next to his father and sister, holding out the book for Casey.

At her confused look, Derek said "You're going to read a bedtime story."

"Right," she sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard, facing her family. Two sets of brown and one set of blue eyes stared back at her, all seemingly sparkling with anticipation. She shook her head slightly as she took the book and opened it to the first page.

Derek settled into a more comfortable position, balancing Gabrielle on his crossed legs. He instinctively wrapped an arm around Derek Jr when he leaned into his side. Derek stared, shamelessly at Casey as she read the children's story with an ease he couldn't describe. She changed her voice for each character and turned the book to show the pictures before continuing, pointing out the important parts of the scene.

When she closed the book, Casey looked up to see Gabrielle asleep, head leaning on Derek's shoulder. Derek Jr's own head kept falling forward every few seconds and his eyes were drooping.

"They're asleep," Casey whispered as she stood from the bed. Derek Jr's head shot up, he blinked a few times before rolling off the bed and staggering out of the room.

Seeing that Gabrielle would awaken if Derek moved, Casey helped him ease her off of Derek's shoulder and onto her own. Derek pulled back the blankets and Casey placed her in the center of the bed.

After tucking her in, Derek leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Casey brushed her hair off of her cheek and whispered "goodnight" before leaving the room. Derek flipped the light switch and left the door slightly ajar. They entered Derek Jr's room, to find him settling into his bed. Derek Jr lifted his head and kissed both his parents on the cheek before closing his eyes and turning away from the door. Again, Derek shut the light off after Casey left the room, leaving the door open a bit.

"I'm going to go walk Bob once more so he doesn't have an accident," Derek spoke softly while heading to the stairs. Casey nodded and covered her mouth as she yawned, heading in the direction of the master bedroom.

Derek found Bob in the living room, curled up in the corner of the couch. He picked him up and walked to the front door, grabbing the leash and clipping it to Bob's collar before putting him on the floor. Shutting the door quietly behind him, Derek walked up the front pathway and down the sidewalk for a few minutes.

On his way back to the house, Derek peered into the backseat of his car and noticed the jackets and bag Casey forgot earlier that evening. He grabbed the items and headed back towards the front door of the house. Locking the door behind him, Derek unclipped Bob's leash and watched as he scampered back into the living room. Seeing the light on, Derek entered the kitchen.

Casey was sitting at the table in her pajamas, which were a lot less revealing than what she woke up in that morning, drinking a glass of iced tea. Derek sat in the chair next to her, picking up the glass that she poured for him.

"I can't believe how tired I am," he said as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm. Casey's yawned in agreement. "And I'm starving," he said but made no movement to get up.

Rolling her eyes, Casey stood and put on an oven mitt. She opened the oven and pulled out a tray that had the three remaining slices of pizza from earlier that day on it. Putting them on two plates, she placed the one with two slices in front of Derek before sitting down to her own slice.

"Thanks," he smiled at her before beginning to eat. They sat in silence, both enjoying their meal while trying to process the odd day they had.

"Hey," Casey began while wiping her mouth with a napkin. "It looks like we have a message," she pointed to the answering machine that was blinking on the wall. She stood, grabbed both plates and dropped them into the sink before walking over to the machine and pressing 'play'.

They heard Nora's voice coming from the small holes on the machine. "Hey guys, I was wondering if you would mind stopping by the store and picking up a few bottles of soda. _George_ forgot today, even though it _was_ on the list I wrote out for him. If it's a problem just give me a call in the morning. See you at the house around 3."

"Oh yeah," Derek said as he got up and put his cup in the sink. "I found an envelope in the office addressed to Marti. I wonder what it is that we are celebrating."

Casey shrugged and followed Derek out of the kitchen, turning off the light as she passed the switch. She followed him up the stairs and into their bedroom, both peeking into Derek Jr and Gabrielle's room as they passed.

Derek walked over to the dresser, opening drawers until he found a pair of pajama pants. He entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him, while Casey took off her earrings and necklace. When Derek was changed, he tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper and opened the bathroom door, before turning back to the sink to grab his toothbrush. Casey went into the bathroom to brush her teeth as well, both avoiding each other's eyes in the mirror.

When they were finished, they walked back into the bedroom and stopped as they looked at the bed.

"I guess I'll go sleep on the couch," Derek said as he grabbed his pillow.

Placing a hand on his arm, Casey shook her head. "The bed's big enough for the both of us. And the kids walked in this morning, they might do it every morning. I don't want them to think we are fighting or anything."

"You sure?"

"Mmhmm." She smiled as she pulled back the comforter on her side of the bed. Derek turned off the light before he crawled in on his side. "Good night Derek," Casey turned her back to him.

"Goodnight," he too turned so his back was to Casey.

After a few minutes, Derek turned his neck to look at Casey's back. He shook his head and turned back to face the wall before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep. He didn't notice Casey do the same thing a few minutes later before she fell asleep as well.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I know that the end of the chapter has been done before, and a lot recently, but it's really a great addition to any story. I actually planned it from the beginning and will go into more in the next chapter. I just didn't want anyone to think that I was stealing the idea from others.

Sorry this took a while to get out. And thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Around 10:30 the next morning, Casey began to wake up. She stretched out, arched her back slightly and brought one of her arms behind her head. Her hand collided with something soft and she lazily ran her nails back and forth.

Derek, enjoying having the back of his head scratched by Casey, tightened the arm that was around her waist, bringing her closer to his body. He moved his head and nuzzled behind her ear with his nose.

"Morning," he said as Casey dragged her nails from the base of his neck up through his hair.

Both stilled as the previous day's events flooded into their minds. Neither said a word as they disentangled their own body parts from the other. Casey brought her arm back from behind Derek's head, while he removed the arm wrapped around her. She lifted one of her legs so Derek could remove one of his own. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, while Casey remained on her side facing away from Derek.

"Right well . . . ," Casey began.

"Yeah," Derek finished for her.

The bedroom door opened and Gabrielle came running into the room. Derek Jr was chasing her, claiming he was the 'Tickle Monster'. Casey couldn't help but laugh as Gabrielle ran up to her side of the bed.

"Help, mommy please!" Gabrielle begged as she was clawing at the sheets. Casey lifted her onto the bed and flipped over, so Gabrielle was in between herself and Derek, and Casey was now facing Derek's direction. Casey pulled down the comforter and helped Gabrielle climb underneath it.

Neither girl noticed the boys plotting on the other side of the bed since Gabrielle pulled the comforter over hers and Casey's head.

"Thanks," Gabrielle whispered as she clung to Casey, wrapping her small arms around her mother's neck in a hug.

The bed shifted and Gabrielle clutched Casey a little tighter, afraid that Derek Jr was going to get to her. Suddenly the blankets were ripped from the bed, leaving Casey and Gabrielle in the center, exposed to the grinning faces of Derek and Derek Jr.

"Now," Derek Jr shouted.

Both leapt onto the bed and started to tickle the unsuspecting girls. Gabrielle shrieked and rolled away from Casey, who was laughing herself from Derek's fingers causing havoc on her sides.

Casey squirmed beneath Derek, who was leaning over her and laughing at her flushed face and poor attempts to stop him. With a shift of her hips, she knocked Derek off balance and he flipped over her and fell to the floor on his back. Unfortunately for Casey, he grabbed her waist and brought her with him. She sat up quickly, straddling his thighs, and looked down at him. Derek was massaging the back of his head, not realizing that Casey was on top of him.

And with a wicked grin, Casey attacked. She reached down and dug her fingers into his side right below his ribs. Derek, caught off guard, couldn't fight or hide his laughter as Casey got her revenge.

Finally gaining some sort of control, Derek seized her hands and flipped them over, where he was now straddling her. Lifting himself to his knees, so not to crush her, Derek wrapped one hand around both her wrists and held them above her head.

"How," he said between gasps, "did you know where I was ticklish?" He used his other hand to lightly brush her stomach, so she could still answer him between her giggles.

"Edwin," was all she could choke out. He stilled his hand on her stomach, thinking of ways to hurt his brother the next time he saw him.

Rustling on the bed caused Casey to look over. It wasn't until Derek's nose brushed Casey's cheek did they realize their position changed or how close their faces had been. Derek sat up and rose to his knees once more so Casey could slide her legs from under him and sit against the wall.

Derek Jr and Gabrielle's faces peered over the side of the bed. "Who won?" Derek Jr asked with a triumphant smile.

Casey looked at Derek, then back at her children. "It was a tie."

"Aww dad!" Derek Jr whined. "That means you lost!"

"Yay mom!" Gabrielle said at the same time.

Derek shrugged at his son's pout and rose to his feet. Holding out a hand for Casey, he said "Who wants some breakfast?"

The children voiced their affirmatives and left the room.

"Thanks," Casey mumbled when she was on her feet and no longer holding Derek's hand.

He nodded and headed towards the bedroom door, Casey at his heels. They went down the stairs and entered the kitchen. This morning, Casey had decided that she wasn't going to allow another sugar filled breakfast and made eggs and bacon for everyone, with the help of Gabrielle.

The morning and early afternoon was relatively boring. Derek had mentioned that he figured out how far from the Venturi/MacDonald household they were, noticing a familiar exit on the highway they took the night before. So he told Casey they would need to leave by about 2pm, leaving enough time to stop at the store.

After breakfast, everyone had showered and dressed, Casey helping Gabrielle. Derek walked Bob after Derek Jr fed him. The family sat down in the living room, putting together a jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table that Derek Jr brought down from his room.

Around 1:30 everyone started to get ready to leave. Casey helped the children into their sneakers as Derek grabbed the envelope that said 'Congratulations Marti' across the front. They made sure that Bob had enough water and Derek walked him one more time before they made their way to the car.

Casey strapped the children into their booster seats and watched as Derek Jr placed a DVD into a small machine in front of him that she failed to notice the night before. He handed Gabrielle a pair of headphones and they both began watching the movie.

Derek had offered to drive, since he got over his initial fear of destroying the car when he drove it home from the reunion the night before. So Casey and Derek both climbed into the car and, after buckling their seatbelts, Derek turned the car on and pulled out of the parking spot.

The first twenty minutes or so was spent in silence, except for the laughter coming from the children in the back seat. Casey didn't want to say anything to make the situation become awkward, because that morning's events didn't seem to be bothering either of them anymore.

"So . . ." Derek obviously decided that they needed to talk, regardless of any awkwardness to follow. "Don't you think we should make a list or something of things we want to find out from the family?"

Turning to look at Derek, she was a little shocked. Derek never made lists, those were really her department. But she held her tongue and thought it would be best not to make a comment on that. "Um, alright. What exactly do you want to know?" She lowered her voice just in case Derek Jr and Gabrielle could hear them.

"For starters, how we became a we."

"Okay," Casey agreed. "How we got together." Derek nodded. "I'd also like to know if we were kicked out."

"What? That's ridiculous Casey, why would they kick us out?" Derek changed lanes and glanced at Casey.

"Think about it Derek. We're stepsiblings, our parents are married. Do you really think they would be ok with us dating?"

Derek shrugged as he pulled onto the exit. "Maybe they didn't have a choice; you might have been pregnant already."

She slapped his arm, hard. "That isn't even funny." He laughed, causing her anger to rise.

Catching her scowling face out of the corner of his eye, he stopped laughing. "Ok, ok. So we want to know how we got together and if we were kicked out. Anything else?"

"Nothing I can think of now." She watched as Derek pulled into a parking spot in front of the supermarket. "Should only one of us run in?"

"Can we come?" Gabrielle asked as she took off her head phones.

"Yeah, please?" Derek Jr chimed in.

Unbuckling his seatbelt, Derek said "I guess that answers your question." Casey and Derek helped the children out of the car. They each held one of the children's hands as they walked inside. Gabrielle was lifted and placed in a wagon, where Derek Jr stood in front of it, between Derek's arms, and 'helped' in pushing it.

"Mom said to pick up a few bottles of soda. If it's a party, how many do you think we should get?" Casey asked as they turned down the correct aisle.

"I guess ten just to be safe." He helped place the bottles into the wagon and turned it around towards the front of the store.

They stood on the shortest line they could find and Derek started to flip through some random magazine. Casey watched as Derek Jr looked over the candy.

"Hey mom . . ." he began.

"Go ahead," she cut him off. "And grab something for your sister too."

Casey put the soda on the counter, along the Derek Jr and Gabrielle's candy, watching as the cashier rung it up and someone with a 'trainer' badge place it all into bags.

"Derek," Casey said as she realized she forgot her purse in the car.

"Hmm?" he replied, not paying attention and reading an article in the magazine.

"I need money."

"Mmhmm."

Rolling her eyes, she reached into his back pocket and grabbed his wallet. She took out the correct bill and handed it over to the cashier. Putting the change away, she waited as the 'trainer' put the bags in the wagon before thanking both employees and walking away.

"Here," she handed Derek his wallet as they were walking out of the store.

"How'd you get this?"

"Do people take things out of your pockets so often that you don't even realize it?"

He shrugged, but was a little surprised that he hadn't noticed her do it. "You do realize what your hand brushed up against, don't you?"

"It's not like _I_ have never touched you _there_ before," she said, pointedly looking at the children, as Derek opened the trunk.

"Touché. But you don't have any memory of it."

"Oh," she shut the trunk door and walked closer to Derek, lowering her voice. "But I do now."

Derek grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. "Hello, I'm Derek Venturi. Have we ever met before?" he asked seriously.

"Yes," she shook his hand as if greeting him for the first time. "But we never took the time to get to know each other before."

Derek smiled, still holding her hand, and was about to say something when the moment was ruined.

"Mom, can I have my candy now?"

Casey let go of Derek's hand, reached into the bag in her other hand, and handed each child their candy. Derek unlocked the car doors and helped Casey strap the children back into their seats. After getting into the car, neither said anything, but both were thinking as they continued to the house they grew up in.

They arrived a few minutes later in front of the Venturi/MacDonald household, a little before 3pm. Parking across the street, they looked over at the house. The outside looked exactly as they remembered it, except Edwin's old bike was no longer thrown across the front grass.

Each grabbing a child's hand and one bag from the trunk, they made their way across the street and up the front steps. The front door was open and they heard Nora yelling at George for not putting away his paperwork.

Lifting Gabrielle and placing her on his hip, Derek peered into the house from the porch.

"Why didn't I think of it before?" Casey said to herself.

"What?" Derek asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

She gestured to the decorations inside. "It's Marti's high school graduation party." She leaned forward a bit, lightly resting her chin on his shoulder to whisper in his ear, "She's eighteen now, ten years older than we remember her to be."

"This is crazy," he said, turning to face her again.

"And about to get crazier," she whispered, nodding her head in the direction of inside the house. "Hey mom," Casey called.

Nora came towards them with a smile on her face. She hugged Derek first, causing him to raise an eyebrow at Casey, who just shrugged and mouthed 'just go along with it'. Nora moved to Gabrielle, taking her from Derek. Nora gave Casey and Derek Jr each a hug, after Derek took the bag from Casey's hand and moved into the house.

"Hello everyone," George said, walking over and clapping Derek on the back. He moved forward, gave Casey a hug and a kiss on the cheek, causing Casey to now raise an eyebrow at Derek. George kissed Gabrielle as well and patted Derek Jr on the shoulder.

"Come help Grandpa in the kitchen junior," George said as he took the bags from Derek.

Derek and Casey both cringed at the name George called Derek Jr, who shuddered at the nickname. Derek Jr looked back at his parents and gave them a mischievous smile before turning to follow George.

"Sure thing _Pops_," he said. Casey and Derek watched as George disappeared into the kitchen, shaking his head at Derek Jr.

Turning back to Nora and Gabrielle, who were in a deep conversation about how Gabrielle hurt her foot the night before, Derek said "We'll go get the rest of the soda." He pulled Casey out the door with him before Nora said anything.

When they were out of Nora's hearing range, he turned to Casey. "What was that?" he pointed to the house as they crossed the street.

"You mean the hugs and kisses?"

"No," he said sarcastically. "I mean the mime stuck in the box. Yes the hugs and kisses. Did dad ever give you a hug, let alone a kiss before? Because Nora tried to the first few months with me, but finally gave up after a while."

"Well," Casey tapped her chin as Derek opened the trunk. "He might have given me a hug once or twice. But it was never as affectionate as that one." She went to grab a bag but Derek swatted her hand away. "You have to remember though, it's been ten years. Who knows what else has changed. They might have a closer relationship with us now."

"_They might have a closer relationship with us now_," Derek imitated her, trying to close the trunk with his hands full of bags. Casey rolled her eyes and shut it for him. "Well, I think they are pod people."

"Don't you dare be mean."

"Me? Mean?" he gave his sweetest smile.

"That innocent act doesn't work on me and you know it." She told him as they walked across the street.

"Fine," he gave in. "But expect me whispering comments in your ear all day."

Casey opened the door for him and let him pass. "I wouldn't have it any other way," she called after him as he headed for the kitchen.

"Casey!"

She turned and came face to face with an older looking Lizzie. Doing the math quickly in her head, she figured Lizzie was 23 years old.

"Liz!" Casey said, moving to hug her. However, the hug wasn't what she was expecting, since a rather large stomach blocked her. "Oh my god, Lizzie you're pregnant."

Lizzie smiled and said, "Yes Casey, I'm pregnant. I was pregnant the last time you saw me. And the time before that and the time before that."

"Hey Liz," Derek said, coming up behind them and giving Lizzie a half hug, avoiding her stomach. "How're you doing?" He figured if he was closer to George and Nora, he was closer to Lizzie too.

"Ankles are swollen, feet hurt and I am in the mood for grape juice and mint chocolate chip ice cream. But otherwise, I'm fine." She looked back at Casey. "I can't believe our kids are going to be in the same grade in school!"

"Huh?"

Lizzie pointed to Casey's stomach.

"Emily," Casey grumbled.

"Fine, fine. I'll pretend I don't know. But we're so excited."

"Right," Casey said, figuring there was no point in denying it since no one would believe her. "So where is . . . the father anyway?"

"Oh," Lizzie looked around the living room, which was filling up with Marti's friends. "I'll go find him."

When Lizzie walked away, Derek stepped up behind Casey so no one else could hear him. "I saw that."

"Saw what?" She asked, turning around and taking a step back when she noticed how close they were.

"You looked at her left hand to see if she was wearing a wedding ring."

"I did not," she said indignantly.

"Yeah, you did. I don't see why you would judge when we conceived Derek before you had a ring." He joked.

She went to slap his arm again, but he caught her wrist in mid-swing. He jerked her forward, making her lose balance and fall into him. She looked up their eyes connected.

"You only were able to hit me last time because I was driving."

"It was only going to be a playful slap," she claimed, innocently.

"Mmhmm," he lowered his face to her ear. "I'm so sure."

"Having fun?" someone asked from behind them.

Derek helped Casey stand, before turning himself and Casey around. They both found an older looking Edwin, with his arm wrapped around Lizzie's waist.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Not much to say really. I rewrote this chapter a few times, and I am still not completely happy with the way it turned out. According to a dear friend, I am just too hard on myself. I guess I hope you all feel the same way.

Thanks again for all the reviews. It really amazes me how accepted this story is and how many great reviews I receive. :)

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Derek stood in the middle of the living room, surrounded by Marti's friends, gawking at his brother and stepsister. Despite everything that had happened the last day and a half, he couldn't seem to get a grasp on the situation.

"Ed?" he asked.

"Yeah," Edwin said, guiding Lizzie to the couch and helping her sit down. He sat next to her, placing his arm around her shoulders and a protective hand on her stomach.

"What the hell are you doing?" Derek said, making some of the teenagers around him turn to look at him. They all went back to what they were doing at his glare.

Casey smacked his arm, causing his glare to turn on her. "What the hell are you doing?" she repeated his question in a hiss that only he could hear.

Pointing to the couple on the couch, Derek spoke. "That's his sister." And oddly enough, none of the party attendants gave a weird look.

Edwin laughed, clutching his side and pointing at Derek. "Good one," he said as he wiped his eyes.

Smiling apologetically at Edwin and Lizzie, Casey dragged Derek to the front door and out of the house. When they were down the steps, she shoved him. "Are you crazy?"

"Am I crazy? Casey, Edwin married Lizzie and knocked her up. And you want to know if I'm crazy!" he shouted.

"First of all, lower your voice." Casey said, moving forward and poking him in the chest. "And in case you forgot, you married me and knocked me up. Twice, possibly three times." She poked him again.

"But she's his sister," he stated again.

Casey gave him a look and pointed to her face.

"You are not my sister," Derek told her after he realized why she was gesturing to herself.

"And Lizzie is not Edwin's sister. Honestly Derek-"

"But it's completely different," he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

Taking a step closer, Casey cocked her head to the side and asked "How so?"

Derek faltered, took a step back and looked around.

"Hmm Derek?" Casey continued, stepping even closer. "Why can't they get married and have kids . . . but we can?"

"I, uh, I didn't say that." Derek backed into a car. "It's just . . ."

"Just what Derek?"

He straightened his back and narrowed his eyes, looking down at Casey. "They're thirteen, that's-"

"No, they're twenty-three. Ten years Derek . . . for everyone. Edwin and Lizzie are twenty-three, Marti is eighteen, mom is fifty-one and George is fifty-four." She jabbed him in the chest again, harder this time. "So stop acting like you know what has happened over the past ten years. Because you don't know, neither of us does. Just try and act normal."

"Normal Casey? Try and act normal!?" He stepped forward, making her step back. "How exactly would you describe normal? As you said, we don't know what happened in the last ten years."

"I just meant-"

"You meant what?" He cut her off as he continued to step towards her. Casey kept walking backwards, not looking where she's going, focused on Derek. "I feel like I'm going crazy and you want me to act normal?"

Casey's back collided with the house, just to the side of the front steps. Derek kept walking until he was directly in front of her.

"I'm eighteen, in a twenty-eight year old body. I just graduated high school. I woke up yesterday to find out I'm married and have two children." He stepped closer, his body almost flush with Casey's. "I don't even know what normal is anymore."

She looked up at him, "And I do?"

"You seem to act like you do."

"I am not. I'm just trying to be reasonable." Casey glared at him and moved to poke him again.

Derek caught her wrist and brought it above her head, wrapping the same hand around one of the rods from the railing, causing the rod to dig into her wrist. Before she could move her other arm, Derek grabbed her elbow and held it at her side.

"Reasonable?" He leaned down closer to her ear. "What exactly is reasonable?"

"I don't know," Casey cried exasperatedly. She leaned her head on his shoulder, staring down at their feet. "I just figured we'd go with the flow. But no, of course not . . . not with Derek Venturi around," she said dejectedly.

With the complete turn around in Casey's demeanor, Derek felt a change in himself.

Letting go of her wrist, her limp arm fell to her side. He looked down at her face, a pained expression clearly evident. "Casey," he drew in a deep breath, "look, it's . . . it's hard and confusing and . . ."

"And you don't know what to do." Casey finished for him, lifting her head and looking into his face.

"Yeah," he said softly, caressing the arm that he was still holding. "But I'll-"

"You know," someone spoke from above them. "Why am I not surprised to see the two of you _alone_ and in a rather compromising position?"

Derek jumped at the sound of the voice and took a few steps back, away from Casey. He looked up and saw what he presumed to be his baby sister Marti, who wasn't exactly a baby anymore.

It seemed that the ten year difference affected her the most. Instead of the eight year old child he was used to seeing, an eighteen year old young woman was standing in front of the open door. She was much taller and obviously older looking. Her long, dark hair reminded him of Casey's, or at least the way it used to look when Casey was physically eighteen.

Marti put her hands on her hips, but she was still smiling down at them. "Do I not even get a hug Smerek?"

He grinned and walked up the steps. Enveloping her in a big hug, Derek was happy to hear that they still called each other by their nicknames.

"Congratulations Smarti," Derek said when he released her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope addressed to her.

"Thanks guys," Marti said, hugging Derek once again. She turned and pulled Casey into a hug, who had followed Derek up the steps.

A moment later, Marti rushed past them and down the stairs of the front porch, tackling some girl her age as a greeting. Casey turned to go into the house but stopped when Derek placed his hand on her arm.

"I'll try," was all he said, before walking into the house.

Derek re-entered the living room and sat down in armchair near Lizzie and Edwin. "Sorry guys," he told them as Casey stood next to the chair. "I haven't really been myself lately." Edwin waved a hand dismissively.

Noticing there were no available seats, Casey sat on the arm of Derek's chair. She leaned over and began talking to Lizzie. As Casey was asking generic questions about the baby trying to find out information she should already know, Derek and Edwin seemed to be having a silent conversation of their own.

Edwin raised an eyebrow, causing Derek to look at him strangely. Nodding his head in Casey's direction, Edwin mouthed 'are you fighting?' as he ran his hand lovingly over Lizzie's stomach. Derek shook his head, but Edwin's expression showed that he didn't believe him.

Derek rolled his eyes, wrapped his arm around Casey's waist and pulled her off the armrest and into his lap, her legs dangling off the side. Caught off guard, Casey squeaked and turned to face him.

"What're you doing?" she asked quietly.

"Going with the flow," he responded, using her words from earlier. Derek turned back to see Edwin grinning.

"Where are the kids?" Lizzie asked, making Casey turn away from Derek.

"Gabby's was with mom and George recruited Derek to help him in the kitchen." Casey told her, trying to act natural on Derek's lap, but his hand running up and down her arm was distracting. He knew it was making her uncomfortable, but he justified his actions, telling himself that it was what she asked for.

"Did dad call him Junior again?" Edwin asked.

"Unfortunately," Casey and Derek said at the same time, making Edwin and Lizzie both laugh. Casey smiled and relaxed on Derek, leaning against his chest.

Edwin stood and began to make his way through the crowd. "I'll grab everyone a drink," he called back to them.

Marti came running into the living room and threw her arms around Derek and Casey. "Thank you so much," she said.

"Yeah thanks," a boy around Marti's age added. He leaned down and gave Casey a kiss on the cheek, causing Derek's grip around her waist to tighten slightly. He then held out a hand to Derek, who briefly shook it.

"What did you get her?" Lizzie asked when they walked away.

Casey stiffened, but relaxed when Derek began caressing her arm again. He just smiled, but had no idea what was in that envelope.

"Four non-alcoholic drinks," Edwin said as he came back, holding two cups in each hand and winking at Casey. She rolled her eyes, but grabbed two of the cups, handing one to Derek. "And I can't believe what you guys gave Marti. It totally blew our gift out of the water."

"What'd they get them?" Lizzie asked him, turning and lifting her feet into Edwin's lap.

"A week's vacation for two to Disney World."

"Oh, they've been wanting to go there for ages," Lizzie said.

"Whose they?" Derek asked, resting the hand holding his half empty cup on Casey's upper thigh.

"Marti and Adam." To the bewildered look on Derek's face, Edwin elaborated in a tone suggesting Derek should have already known. "Her boyfriend."

"What?" Derek exclaimed, throwing his hand up. However, it was the hand holding the cup and it splashed all over Casey's top.

She stood, soda dripping down her shirt, and glared at Derek. Putting her own cup on the table, she walked through the crowd of dancing high school students and walked up the stairs.

"Damn it," Derek whispered. He wiped the few drops off his pant leg and placed his cup next to Casey's. Looking up, he caught the glare Lizzie directed to him. "I'll just, um . . . go help her."

"Yeah, you do that."

Derek rose, weaved his way through Marti's friends and walked up the stairs. The hallway was empty, of both people and toys, something he wasn't used to. He went to Casey's door, but heard the water in the bathroom running and figured she was in there.

He knocked and his response was a muttered 'clumsy oaf' muffled through the door. Bringing his fist to the door again, he knocked a little harder. This time all he heard was mumbling, but Derek knew it was about him.

"You can at least insult me to my face," he called, while banging on the door.

The door opened and Casey turned back to the sink, wringing the excess water out of a wash cloth. She pulled her shirt away from her body and rubbed the washcloth on her skin, trying to get the stickiness off. Frustrated, she threw the small towel into the sink and turned to Derek, who was standing in the doorway.

"Take off your shirt," she commanded.

Furrowing his eyebrows at the odd request, all he could say was "What?"

"Take. Off. Your. Shirt." She spoke slower this time, hands making their way to her hips.

His expression didn't change.

"Ugh," she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. Casey walked over to him and began unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt.

Smacking her hands away, he took a step back into the hallway. "What do you think you are doing?"

"You," she pointed at him, stepping into the hallway after him. "Spilled your soda on my shirt," she gestured to the wet stain. "I am not going to feel sticky all day because you can't hold a cup."

"Oh, and I'm going to walk around without a shirt?" he asked incredulously.

She shook her head slightly at his stupidity. "You are wearing layers Derek. I am going to take your button down shirt," she began unbuttoning the remaining buttons, "and you are going to wear the t-shirt underneath. Got it?"

"Fine," he relented, shrugging out of the shirt. Casey grabbed it and turned to the bathroom again. Derek moved to follow, but the door slammed in his face.

He turned to go back down stairs, but his eyes landed on his bedroom door. Although the door was still red, the sign that read 'Keep Out' was no longer there. Interested, Derek walked over and opened the door.

Instead of the bedroom that he grew accustomed to since birth, it was completely different. The walls were now painted white and instead of his larger bed, there were two twin sized beds. Toys lined the walls and the opened closet showed that it was filled with children's clothes.

"Oh god," Derek heard from behind him. "You don't think they had more kids, do you?"

Casey walked into the room and stood next to Derek, staring down at the moon and stars comforter on the nearest bed. She was now wearing Derek's shirt, which was so big that it ended about mid-thigh.

"I hope not," he said. Derek walked over to the dresser and picked up a small hair brush. "I can't believe what they did to my room."

"At least it's still a bedroom. They turned my room into an office."

Derek turned to face her, trying to keep the smile off his face. "Seriously?"

She glared. "Yes Derek."

"Knock knock," Edwin said from the doorway. "Just wanted to make sure everything was alright with you two." Derek and Casey watched him enter the room and pick up a small stuffed animal from the bed. "Makes you feel old, doesn't it?"

"What?" Casey asked.

Edwin gestured around the room. "I remember how excited Nora was when she decided to do this." His face took on a wistful expression. "Lizzie got all teary eyed when she saw what they did to her room. It's like a right of passage I guess, getting your bedroom turned into one for your kids."

"Hey Ed," Derek said suddenly, making Edwin look up. "You happy?" The odd question caused Casey to look up as well, shifting her eyes between the two males in the room.

A huge grin spread across Edwin's face. "Yeah, I really am." He paused, narrowing his eyes a bit at Derek. "Trying to get us to thank you again?"

Derek darted his eyes quickly to Casey, who just shrugged. "Um . . . no?"

Edwin laughed lightly and tossed the stuffed animal to Derek. "Well thanks again," he smiled before leaving the room.

"Do you know what that was about?" Derek asked Casey when they heard Edwin's footsteps on the stairs.

"Not a clue." She walked over to one of the beds and collapsed onto it, her feet hanging off the side.

Placing the stuffed animal on the dresser, Derek followed Casey's example and plopped himself down on the bed next to her. She turned on her side to face him, seeing Derek staring at the ceiling.

"Still feel like you're going crazy?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "And we've been here for what? An hour?" He turned to face her.

"If even," she said.

Derek reached out and fixed the collar to his shirt that she was wearing. She smiled at him before standing.

"Come on," Casey grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "We can't hide all day."

"Why not?" Derek pouted, making Casey laugh.

She was still holding his hand as she dragged him out of the room.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Wow, it's been a while hasn't it? So sorry about that. I really have no excuse besides the fact that I'm terrible at managing my time. I, again, am up in the air about this chapter. There were a bunch of things I wanted to happen and I don't know if it flows very well. Hope you all like it though. I also wrote it in a couple of hours on campus today (when I should have been studying), so please excuse any mistakes or inconsistencies, I tried to make sure there weren't any.

With alerts messed up, and then receiving emails from weeks ago, I didn't respond to everyone. But, thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews. They always brighten my day.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

For the next two hours, Casey and Derek interacted with their family and Marti's friends, as well as spent some time with Derek Jr and Gabrielle, who were a bit bored since they were the only children at the party.

After eating pizza, which George didn't order enough of and had to call again for a couple more pies, every congregated into the living and dining room area again. Derek watched as his children terrorized Marti's friends, until she caught them and tickled them with the help of her boyfriend. Darting his eyes around the room, he watched the other party attendants conversing amongst themselves.

And finally, for about the hundredth time that day, his eyes landed on Casey. From the moment that she let go of his hand when they reached the bottom step, he felt drawn to her. Their eyes would lock and involuntary smiles would spread across their faces.

"Hey Derek," Edwin said from behind him. Derek turned away from Casey, who gave one last fleeting smile, before turning back to Lizzie. "Are you feeling alright? You seem out of it today."

"Honestly?" Derek said, taking a sip from his cup. Edwin nodded and leaned forward. "No, I'm really not."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Unless you can treat my insanity" Derek mumbled, looking back over at Casey.

Following his line of sight, Edwin noticed Casey turn from her conversation with Lizzie and smile slightly in their direction, eyes fixed on Derek.

"So, it has to do with Casey huh?" Derek snapped his head back and stared at Edwin. "I thought you guys weren't fighting."

"We're not," he answered quickly. "It's just . . . just weird."

"Weird?" Edwin pressed, obviously intrigued.

Heaving a sigh, Derek tried to explain without giving too much away. "I'm just confused. Things have been different lately and I'm trying to adjust, but it's a bit harder than I had initially anticipated."

Edwin gestured for Derek to continue.

"I really don't know what you want me to say," Derek said as he lifted his cup to his lips. When he realized that his cup was empty, something seemed to click. "It's like this," he showed Edwin his empty cup, to which he only got a confused face. "Where did my drink go? I know the most logical answer is that I drank it, but I don't remember my last sip finishing it off."

"Uh, Derek . . . you're not making any sense."

"Exactly! The first thoughts that run through my head are that my drink either evaporated or someone came and drank it. Both make no sense but my brain is so warped that I think these things before the one thing that makes the most sense."

"So . . ." Edwin began slowly, trying to piece everything together when Derek stopped speaking. "What exactly is it that makes the most sense in regards to Casey?"

Derek opened his mouth, closed his mouth, and then turned around to look at Casey. As if knowing he was looking at her, she turned and smiled, and Derek couldn't help but smile back.

"I have no idea," he whispered, still facing Casey.

She lifted an eyebrow, turned to say something to Lizzie, and then walked over to Edwin and Derek.

"You alright?" she asked Derek, voice full of concern.

"No," Edwin answered for him. He stood up when Lizzie walked over, allowing her to take his seat. "He's lost his mind."

Lizzie snorted and motioned to Casey, "Not the only one."

Casey glared at Lizzie before grabbing Derek's arm and pulling him to his feet. "I just saw George enter the kitchen," she whispered to him. "Want to go corner him and try to get some information?"

"Sure," he answered, following Casey after waving to Edwin and Lizzie, who were now in a conversation of their own.

Making their way through the crowd, Casey and Derek entered the kitchen as George took the milk out of the refrigerator.

"Hey George," Casey said, sitting on one of the stools at the island with her back to the doors separating the kitchen and dining room.

"Hey," he called over his shoulder, reaching into a cabinet for a mug. "Coffee?" he asked.

"Sure," Casey answered as she pulled the stool to her left out with her foot, motioning for Derek to sit down.

"Yeah, thanks _Pops_."

"So you're the one who told him to call me that," George accuse as he set the mugs and coffee pot on the island top.

Derek shook his head as he filled his and Casey's mugs with coffee. "No, I think he's just getting you back for calling him Junior."

"But he is a junior."

"And you're a pops."

"Fine, fine," George said as he blew on the top of his coffee.

They sat silently for a few minutes, each occasionally sipping from their mug.

"Not that I don't enjoy the quiet, but was there something you guys wanted?" George asked.

"Actually, yes there was." Casey looked at Derek, who raised an eyebrow. She nodded her head in George's direction, across from them. Derek shook his head no. Finally, Casey pinched Derek's thigh underneath the table.

"Fine," Derek gritted through his teeth, rubbing the spot that Casey pinched. "Dad, can you tell us about us?" Derek clarified at George's puzzled look. "How Casey and I got together."

"Shouldn't you already-"

"Just humor us," Derek said, cutting off his father.

"Alright," he said slowly. "Well, to be honest with you, I don't know." George put down his mug and leaned back on his stool, looking from Casey to Derek. "I don't think anyone but the two of you know how you got together."

"No one ever asked us?" Casey questioned.

"Oh, we asked, all the time. You both would either ignore the question completely or give cryptic smiles." He paused before speaking again. "Care to explain now?"

"No," Derek said immediately.

George shrugged, "Doesn't hurt to try."

After a moment, Casey asked, "Were we accepted?"

"By who? The family, society?" Casey nodded. "At first, no. But we all got used to it and you both are too headstrong to ever back down and give in to other's opinions." George chuckled lightly. "I remember this one time, early on, someone on Derek's college hockey team said something about your relationship. I never saw Derek so enraged before. If you hadn't whispered something to him, I thought Derek might have actually killed him."

"So, we were close like that from the beginning?" Derek asked.

"Um . . ." George tapped his finger on his lips as he thought. "Yeah, I think so. When it came to other people questioning the relationship. But you were both so off and on those first few months, Nora and I didn't think you were going to last."

"What do you mean?"

"The fighting, you were still at it like you were when the MacDonalds first moved in. There were times that people wouldn't believe you two were even together." George sighed and looked at the both of them. "But there was always this connection you had . . . like one of you would say something to the other, or give a look, or play this really old song." George shrugged, "and all was good again."

Casey looked out of the corner of her eye, only to see Derek doing the same. She smiled, a small smile, which he instantly returned.

"Like that," George said. "And after a while, the fighting pretty much stopped altogether, so no one questioned your relationship anymore."

A few minutes passed in silence, allowing Derek and Casey to collect their thoughts. Several questions were going through both their minds, but they were trying to find ways to word them.

"What did you and mom do?"

"Initially, we freaked out."

Derek sensed Casey cringe, so he lightly nudged her. When she turned to face him, he gave her a reassuring smile. Derek turned to his father before asking, "What did you do exactly?"

"Well, there was a lot of yelling. Besides that, there really wasn't much else we could do. You were both eighteen at the time."

"Right," Derek mumbled to Casey. "At the time." She elbowed him in the side.

"After the initial shock wore off, we didn't take you seriously, what with all the fighting."

"How'd you know we weren't joking about the whole thing?" Casey asked.

"Your mom and I sent the family spies after you."

"And we all know how that turned out," Nora said as she entered the kitchen. She threw away empty plastic cups that she collected, nodding her head in the direction of the living room.

Casey and Derek looked over their shoulders, turning a bit on their stools, where Casey's knee brushed Derek's leg. They saw Lizzie and Edwin sitting next to one another on the couch. Edwin was whispering something in Lizzie's ear, brushing the hair off her face. She was smiling, one hand resting on her stomach and the other on Edwin's arm.

"We did that?" Casey whispered.

"Mmhmm," Nora said, leaning against George and taking a sip from his mug. "Of course it took a couple of years and a bit of pushing from the two of you. But I think them spying on you, when you thought no one was watching, brought them closer together."

"Was it easier on them than it was on us?" Derek asked.

"Yeah," Nora nodded. "After people learned you both weren't going to back down and actually loved each other, we all were more accepting."

"Also," George said to Nora, wrapping an arm around her waist. "They weren't as cocky about their relationship as these two."

"How were Casey and I cocky?"

"George, you know Casey wasn't as cocky as Derek was."

"Hey!"

"Come on Derek," Nora began. "Don't you remember our conversation about your bedroom?"

"Oh yeah, that was great." George laughed.

"When I wanted to make you switch rooms with Edwin, so that there was some distance between you and Casey, don't you remember what you said?" Nora's voice deepened, trying to imitate Derek. "'There's only one way I'm giving up my room, and it won't even be possible for a couple of years.' And that was that, end of discussion as far as you were concerned." A reminiscent look crossed her face. "You never did give me any grief when I turned it into a room for Derek and Gabby."

"What are you all doing in here?" Lizzie asked as she and Edwin entered the room. She sat down on a stool next to Derek, Edwin resting his hands on her shoulders.

"Reminiscing," George told them.

"Yeah, 'bout what?" Edwin asked.

"Derek and Casey's relationship."

"Right," Lizzie began. "Their own graduation ten years ago."

"What?" Derek and Casey said at the same time.

"Oh wow, I almost forgot." Edwin turned towards Derek and Casey. "Don't you guys remember that amusement park we went to?"

"Like it was two days ago," Derek mumbled.

"Derek," Casey hissed.

"It was so strange," Edwin said, as if he didn't hear either of them. "Seeing you two making out next to that booth. What was it again?"

"I think a fortune teller or something," Nora said.

Derek's eyes widened and he smacked his left hand against his forehead. Casey gasped and her left hand clutched onto Derek's right wrist, which was resting in his lap. He turned to look at her and noticed that she just remembered as well.

"I didn't even realize it was them at first."

"Who would have thought that they would be kissing instead of killing each other? Nora and I caught them sneaking away from one another several times that day."

"And they weren't even embarrassed, like it was an everyday occurrence."

"Do you remember what they said? How they just wanted to try it out for a while."

"Yeah right, they both had determination in their eyes. Like they knew it was going to last."

From the moment Nora mentioned the fortune teller booth, Derek and Casey didn't hear a thing they said. Casey's breathing became erratic and Derek was worried she was going to have a panic attack. He flipped his hand over, the one that she grabbed, and intertwined their fingers. Derek ran his thumb across her wrist a couple of times, before leaning in closer to her.

"Hey," he whispered, making her look at him. "You alright?" She shook her head no and her eyes settled just over his shoulder. He turned completely on his stool to face her and placed his free hand on her thigh, squeezing slightly. "We're going to be okay Case, you know that right?"

Casey took a deep breath. "You think so?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

He smiled, trying to reassure himself as well as her. "I know so."

She returned the smile, tightening her fingers around his a little more. "Thanks."

"So," Edwin said, clapping Derek on the back. "You going to help me move the kid's seats?"

"Huh?" Derek said, turning away from Casey, but still holding her hand.

"The booster seats, help me move them to my car. Lizzie and I are leaving soon."

"Why exactly are you going to need their seats?" Casey asked.

"Do you honestly think I would drive with Derek and Gabby in the car without them?"

"Hold up," Derek said. "I'm confused, why are you taking them in your car?"

"What is wrong with you two today?" Lizzie asked. "They're spending the week at our house and it's not like we are going to make you guys drive them when we are already here."

"Oh, right . . . the week at your house. We, um, forgot to bring clothing for them."

"Not a problem Casey, we still have some of their things at our place. Besides, we live like five minutes away from each other."

"Edwin, help me up?" Lizzie asked, holding out her arms.

Derek stood, squeezed Casey's hand one last time before letting go, and placed his and Casey's mugs in the sink.

"Aww, are you leaving already?" Marti asked from the doorway.

"Yeah, sorry Marti, but I'm still craving grape juice and mom's all out."

"It's alright Liz." Marti hugged Lizzie, then Edwin. "Thanks again for the gift, you really didn't have to."

"Don't act like you didn't want it."

"You know," George began, gaining everyone's attention. "I just realized that we are all Venturis."

"That'll change when Marti gets married."

"No it won't," she said. "I decided a while ago that I'm not going to change my last name. I mean, how cool is it that we all have the same last name?" Everyone besides Derek and Casey laughed.

As Lizzie and Edwin began to say goodbye to Marti, George and Nora; Casey walked across the room to Derek.

"Looks like we aren't the only crazy ones."

"In this family," he told her before he followed Edwin and Lizzie outside, dropping his head to whisper in her ear. "I think you need a couple of screws loose just to fit in."

Casey found Derek Jr and Gabrielle, talking with Marti's boyfriend Adam, and helped them put their shoes on. After making sure they said goodbye to everyone, she walked them outside to Edwin's car.

Derek was finishing putting the booster seats in the car when Casey and the children walked up.

"Have fun and behave for your aunt and uncle, okay?" Casey said, hugging Gabrielle before picking her up and handing her to Derek so he can strap her in the car.

"We will," Derek Jr said.

They were both leaning in the car, Derek buckling Gabrielle's seatbelt as Casey spoke to Derek Jr.

"I'll miss you daddy," Gabrielle said.

"I'll miss you too, Poppet," Derek said sincerely.

Gabrielle beamed and wrapped her small arms around Derek's neck, kissing his cheek. "I thought you forgot," she said.

Realizing she was talking about the nickname that slipped from his lips, he smiled and said "Never. Now you going to be good right?"

"Yup."

Derek turned to his son, "And you're going to take care of her?"

"Always," he smiled and waved as Derek closed the car door.

Standing in front of the house, Derek and Casey waved as Edwin pulled the car out of the parking spot and drove down the street.

"Poppet?" Casey asked.

Derek shrugged, "It was something my grandmother always called me. I guess it's what I call her."

"Well," Casey said as she nudged him with her shoulder. "Looks like you made that little girl's day."

"I did, didn't I?" Derek asked, making Casey laugh. He turned to face her and spoke in a more serious tone. "You do know what we have to do, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded before turning towards the house. "Let's go say goodbye."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I know that this chapter is short, but I didn't want to tack this part on to either the previous or next chapter. I also feel like I am disappointing many of you, not going along with most of the reviews and what you expected their week together to entail. I do hope you like this chapter, and the few more left to end the story.

I am really in shock at how many reviews this story has, but I am glad that you all enjoy the story. So thanks so much to all of you.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

After a quick goodbye to George and Nora, as well as congratulating Marti one last time, Casey and Derek left their parents' home. Neither spoke much on the way to their house, both thinking about the information they had learned that day. 

Derek pulled into their driveway and turned off the car. He followed Casey to the front door, stepping next to her to unlock it.

"I'm almost expecting Derek and Gabby to run out of the living room," Derek said as they made their way up the stairs.

"Used to them already?" Cased mused.

"Aren't you?" he countered, stopping in the hallway between the children's bedroom doors.

Casey looked from one door to the other, nodded, and continued to their bedroom. She watched as he entered the closet, hearing Derek push some of the hangers to the side.

She walked into the bathroom and began to grab things they would need. Both toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and shower poufs were gathered into her arms. She walked out the bathroom and dumped everything on the bed.

"How long do you think we'll be staying?" Derek asked as he opened a drawer and looked through some t-shirts.

"I dunno. A day, maybe two. I guess bring two changes of clothes," she called over her shoulder as she returned to the bathroom to grab their deodorant and a hair clip.

When she reentered the bedroom, Casey noticed Derek place his clothes into a duffel bag. She threw the items with the others from the bathroom on the bed and walked over to the closet.

"I figured we could share the duffel, since we don't have a lot of stuff."

Grabbing the first two pairs of jeans she could find, Casey left the closet and tossed them on the bed. "That's fine," she told him as she walked over to the dresser. She took out a couple of t-shirts, undergarments and a pair of pajamas.

Turning around, she watched as Derek neatly folding her pants and placing them on top of his clothing. Clearing her throat, she walked over towards the bed.

"Is that everything?" Derek asked, reaching for the items from the bathroom. As he put them in the side pocket, Casey stuffed the rest of her clothing into the bag and zipped it.

"Yeah, that's everything I need."

He nodded and swung the bag over his shoulder. Leaving the room, Casey turned off the light and following him into the hallway and down the stairs.

"Do you remember how to get there?" Casey asked him, pausing outside of the office with the computer.

Derek stopped as well, turned to face Casey and thought a moment. "It was only a couple of days ago _and _I did drive Ed and Liz, didn't I?"

"You followed George," she pointed out.

"I can handle it," he said as he dropped the duffel bag near the front door and entered the kitchen.

Casey followed and watched as he poured himself a drink. He held up his glass, silently asking if she wanted any. She shook her head and noticed the answering machine light was blinking. Pressing the button, Lizzie's voice came through the speaker.

"Hey guys, just wanted you to know we got home safe. We're going to stop by tomorrow to pick up a few things. You know, Bob and clothes. Edwin noticed Gabby forgot her bear, but she fell asleep on the ride so she didn't notice. Hope you guys have fun and we'll see you in a week. Love ya."

Derek put his glass in the sink and looked at Casey. "Did they know we were leaving?"

Casey shrugged, "They didn't say anything to me." She paused. "I completely forgot about Bob though."

"Oh," Derek began, heading towards the living room. "I'll go walk him quickly before we leave."

Casey heard him shut the front door after he found Bob. She walked over to the sink and washed the few dishes from that day. As she was drying her hands, she felt Derek's presence behind her.

"Ready?"

Derek nodded from the doorway. He grabbed the duffel and followed Casey to the front door. She opened it for him and allowed him to step outside before turning off the light and locking the door behind her. Derek was already at the car when Casey turned around, tossing the duffel into the back seat and opening up the driver's side door.

As Casey buckled her seat belt, Derek pulled out of the driveway and headed in the same direction they took that morning.

"You sure you know how to get there?" Casey asked one last time, as they turned off their block. Derek grumbled something in response.

About an hour later Derek was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the song playing on the radio. He saw Casey walk out of the convenient store, eyes slightly narrowed.

She opened her door, tossed a bottle of water at Derek and climbed into the car. When she finally situated herself into her seat, she turned to face Derek and smacked him upside the head.

"Ow," he said, rubbing the spot she hit. He sighed when he saw the glare on his face. "Well?"

"You know that highway we got off, like fifteen minutes ago." Derek nodded, so she continued. "You know how you were so adamant about getting off at exit 7?" Again he nodded, a little scared at the calmness in her voice. "Well, you stupid idiot, we were supposed to get off at exit 17! I knew the trip would take longer. We still have at least another hour and a half."

She was fuming, arms across her chest and all Derek could do was smile sheepishly. He pulled out of the parking lot and found the highway again, allowing the music to fill the car.

Almost two hours later, a calmer Casey was looking out her window for any hotel they could spend the night in. She only saw dark shop windows and the occasional other car passing them on the street. Finally, Derek noticed something out his window.

"Hey, isn't that the same hotel we stayed at?" he asked, gesturing to the left.

Casey leaned over him slightly, looking out the window at the sign in front of a large hotel. "It looks different though," she said.

He smiled, looking at her out of the corner of his eye as he pulled into the parking lot. "And I thought you were the smart one." She huffed and he continued before she could say anything. "It has been ten years Casey."

"So, we're staying here then?" she asked as he parked the car.

"Unless you want to look for another hotel."

"No," she began, opening her door. "It's late, we're already here and _I_ know how to get to the amusement park from here."

Derek turned off the car and grabbed the duffel bag before locking the doors. He followed Casey to the entrance of the hotel and held the door open for her. They walked up to the front desk and waited for the person behind the counter to get off the phone.

"No problem, 10am wake-up call it is. Have a good night." The man, whose name tag read 'Brian', hung up the phone and typed something into the computer before turning his attention to Derek and Casey. "Good evening. Name please."

"Venturi," Derek said as watched Casey lean against the counter, yawning behind her hand.

"Derek?" Brian asked, looking up from the computer screen. To Derek's nod he continued. "Oh, it says here that you were going to check in tomorrow morning. The room we have reserved is open tonight so it's not a problem." Brian typed something else in before smiling up at Derek. "I'll just need a credit card."

Derek reached into his pocket for his wallet and handed Brian the first card he saw. The lobby was silent, expect for the soft tapping of the keyboard. About a minute later, Brian gave Derek back the card, along with a keycard to their room.

"You're in room 317, on the third floor. Did you want a wake-up call?"

Casey looked at Derek, who looked as tired as she did. "No thanks, we'll be fine," she said before heading towards the elevators.

"So, we had reservations to stay here?" Derek questioned more to himself than to Casey when they were out of Brian's hearing range.

She sighed and pushed the 'up' button. "Nothing surprises me anymore."

They entered the elevator and Derek pushed the button for the third floor. Casey leaned against one of the walls, resting her forehead on the cool metal, as Derek leaned on the wall opposite her. When the doors opened, they made their way to their room and Derek slid the keycard into the lock.

Derek entered first and placed the duffel bag on the floor near the door. He flipped the switch and a lamp near the bed turned on. He threw the contents of his pockets and the keycard on the dresser. Kicking off his shoes, he collapsed on the bed, burying his head in the white pillow.

Casey followed him in, shutting and locking the door behind them. She walked over to the bed and looked down at the back of his head.

Sensing Casey near him, he turned his head and saw her standing next to him. "What?"

"Um . . . well, you see . . . we, uh." She took a deep breath. "We didn't ask for two beds, do you think we should go back downstairs and -"

Her question was interrupted when Derek's arm shot out, wrapped around her thighs, and pulled her into the bed. He managed to pull her over his body, making her lay down next to him.

"Derek," she shrieked, caught off guard.

"You're tired, I'm tired." He yawned to prove his point. "It's late. They must know we're married if we had made reservations for this room." Derek reached over and turned the lamp off. "The bed is big enough and we did sleep in the same bed last night without killing each other."

"But -"

Derek turned to face Casey. With the small amount of the light coming through the sheer curtains from the moon, they could just make out one another's face.

He smiled, "Just go to sleep so we can go hunt down that damn ventriloquist booth in the morning."

Casey kicked off her shoes in defeat as Derek turned over. She placed one arm underneath her pillow, the other curling up into her side.

"Goodnight Derek," she whispered over her shoulder before closing her eyes.

"Goodnight," he whispered back.

Both of their last thoughts were that they had ended up on 'their' side of the bed before sleep took over.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I really, really, _really_ hope you all like this chapter. It's something I've been thinking about since the beginning and it didn't turn out exactly how I pictured it. I do kind of like it though, kind of. I also hope it answered some of your questions.

There is only one more chapter left, and I don't think it will be very long. I'm not sure when it'll be out though, but hopefully sometime next week.

Wow, you are all really amazing. This story has over 400 reviews! I am honestly in complete shock and wish to give you all hugs. Thank you.

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

"Jimmy, you get back here right now," Derek and Casey heard through the door, the volume decreasing as they heard footsteps walk down the hall.

Casey groaned, kept her eyes shut, and shifted her head a little higher on the pillow.

"Ugh," she began, moving her head to where her face was in his chest, her cheek against the underside of Derek's jaw. "Your breath stinks."

"Not like yours is any better," he countered.

Casey stiffened from embarrassment and began to move away from him. The hand on her lower back pulled her closer to him, his other arm sneaking out from under the pillow and tugged playfully on her hair.

"I'm just kidding," he said, his pinky finger playing with the hem of her shirt, occasionally brushing against the skin of her back, his other hand running slowly through her hair. "I can't smell it from where you are now anyway."

The hand resting on his side moved to behind his back and underneath his shirt. She scratched him roughly, while the arm caught between their bodies pinched his stomach.

"Ow," he complained, but laughed slightly at her attempt to hurt him.

"Big baby," she murmured, gently rubbing where she scratched and pinched.

About a minute passed in silence, neither opening their eyes nor stopping their small movements.

"I'm _so_ tired," Derek whined, unable to get back to sleep.

Shaking her head slightly, Casey brought her arm from behind Derek's back and removed his arms from around her.

"Where are you going?" Derek mumbled from the bed, burying his face in his pillow.

"Shower," she told him.

Carefully getting out of the bed without disturbing Derek, she walked across the room to the duffel bag. She picked it up and placed it on top of the small table in the corner of the room, grabbing items she would need, making sure she had her toothbrush with her.

Derek raised a hand in acknowledgement, and turned over to face away from the bathroom. His face fell into the rays of light coming through the curtains, making him groan and turn back over.

About fifteen minutes later, Derek felt something tap his shoulder. He tried to ignore it, until it began to talk.

"Derek, wake up."

"No."

The tap turned into a shove. "Get up now. It's already 11 and I'm hungry." When Derek didn't move, Casey continued. "If you get up now I'll let you pick where we eat."

Rolling over to look at Casey, he smiled. "Bribing?"

"I'm antsy," she confessed.

Understanding, because he was a bit anxious about the day as well, he conceded and got out of bed. Grabbing a few items from the duffel bag, he moved towards the bathroom.

"Do you have your toothbrush?"

Holding the item above his head, he said "Yes _mom_."

A little while later, Derek emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed. Casey was sitting on the bed, which she made, tying her shoes laces. He tossed his dirty clothes on top of hers in the chair, smiling a bit about both shirts being his.

"So, where do you want to eat?" she asked, running a brush through her hair

"Are you actually letting me pick?" he asked, slipping into his own sneakers without untying the laces. She shrugged and placed some money and her ID into her pocket. "Well, personally I'm starving, so is the hotel restaurant fine with you?"

"Mmhmm," she said, placing the keycard to the room into his wallet, before handing it to him.

They exited the room and headed towards the elevator. Taking it down to the lobby, they walked out and headed towards the small restaurant. After being seated, they began to look over their menus.

"Are we driving to the park?" Derek asked, pouring himself and Casey a cup of coffee from the pot that the server brought to the table.

"No lazy," she teased. "It's only a couple blocks away. Don't worry though. I won't get us lost."

He stuck out his tongue, quickly putting it back into his mouth when their waitress came over. The elderly woman reached into the pocket of her apron for her pad, while pulling a pencil out of her bun. "Ready to order?"

"Um," Casey began, looking over at Derek. When he nodded, she placed her order. "I'll have the silver dollar pancakes with fresh strawberries please."

"Syrup?" the waitress asked.

"No thanks."

"Same," Derek said when the waitress turned to face him. When she walked away, Derek looked over at Casey. "What?" he asked at her raised eyebrow.

"Same?"

"Yeah, so what?" Her eyebrow didn't lower. "The strawberries sounded good."

Casey brought her hand up to her chest. "First vegetables on your pizza, now strawberries for breakfast. And there won't even be any chocolate." She leaned over the table a bit, placing her hands on the top for support. "I don't think I even know who you are."

He smiled, "I thought it was you who said just yesterday that we never took the time to get to know each other."

She blushed and leaned back into her chair. The waitress returned with their food, asking if they needed anything else. When she walked away, Derek reached over the table and stole a large piece of strawberry off of Casey's plate and popped it into his mouth.

"I just so happen to love strawberries."

She rolled her eyes and stole one of his, before both began eating. They didn't speak much during their meal, only commenting on the terrible music that was playing in the restaurant.

When they were almost done, Derek looked past Casey and noticed an older man in a suit waving at him, making his way towards their table. Derek raised his hand and waved slowly, causing Casey to look over her shoulder.

"Who's that?" Casey asked. Derek was only able to shrug before the man arrived at their table.

"Mr. and Mrs. Venturi," he said as a greeting. "I saw that you checked in last night. Decided to make it early this year?"

"Uh . . . yeah, we did."

The man nodded, then looked around the room. "You didn't bring the kids with you this year?"

Derek quickly looked over to Casey before speaking. "No, we left them with our siblings," he said slowly, a bit confused as to how this man knew them.

"Right, right . . . Needed some more time alone." He winked down at them. "You staying the whole week again?" Then he laughed, continuing before they could answer. "Of course you are, you always do. Well, I won't disturb you both any longer. Enjoy your time alone," he winked again before leaving.

Before either could discuss what happened, the waitress came over. "Do you need anything else?" When they shook their heads, she asked "Do you want the meal to be billed to your room?"

"Sure," Casey said. "Room 314, right Derek?" He nodded.

"Well, enjoy the rest of your day," the waitress said as she left.

Derek took out a couple of bills from his wallet and threw them on the table as a tip. He finished his coffee and stood, waiting for Casey to finish hers. They silently walked towards the front doors of the hotel and exited before speaking.

"What the hell was that about?" Derek asked as they crossed the parking lot towards the sidewalk.

"I don't know, but he seemed to know us." They waited for the light to change before crossing the street. "Do you think he remembered us from ten years ago?"

"We weren't Mr. and Mrs. Venturi ten years ago," he pointed out.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "He knew we had kids. He said something about 'this year'. So maybe we've come before." She paused as she processed everything. "Do you think it's possible that we come here every year?"

Derek stopped right outside the amusement park, people passing them to go inside the gates. Casey stopped as well, turning to face him. "Case, we're married. Liz and Ed are married. Dad and Nora are fine with it." He put his hands on her shoulders. "I think anything is possible."

"Let's just try to avoid that man when we get back to the hotel later."

"I agree," he said as he followed her into the park.

They walked up to the ticket window and Derek paid their way into the park. Walking away with a pocket full of tokens, they headed towards the first employee they saw.

"Hi," Casey began. "We're looking for a specific booth. It's some sort of fortune teller. Could you point us in the right direction?"

"I'm sorry," the teenager told her. "I'm new here and I'm really not sure what you're talking about." He turned to walk away.

Derek grabbed his arm before he could leave. "Well, do you have a map or something?"

"Um . . . I don't think we have any." The employee shrugged out of Derek's grip and walked away.

"Stupid idiot," Derek said quietly. Casey didn't bother to scold him.

"Um . . . you have no idea where it is, do you?"

"Not a clue," Derek said, looking around them. He pointed past Casey's shoulder. "Do you want to go on that to see if we can see it?"

Casey turned and saw him pointing to the _Skyway_, a ride that traverses the park about 50 feet in the air. Nodding her agreement, they walked over and stood on the line. A couple of minutes later they reached the front of the line and sat down opposite each other in one of the cable cars.

"Do you remember what it was near?" Casey asked, looking out of the window to her right.

"No," Derek told her, looking out the other side. His eyes scanned the park, squinting every time he saw a booth. He heard Casey squeal and slide into the seat next to him, making the car rock slightly.

She pointed towards the other seat. "Spider," she said, taking deep breaths.

Derek chuckled and whispered her words for him earlier, "Big baby." He stood and lifted his foot, but was pulled back into his seat.

"Don't kill it!" Casey told him, her eyes following the spider's movement.

"Why not?"

"It'll rain," she stated.

He laughed, holding his side with the arm that she wasn't clutching. "I had no idea you were superstitious."

"Shut up," she said, still holding his arm. "Just make sure it doesn't come near me."

"Okay," he placed his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. "I'll make sure the big bad spider doesn't get you."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically. She turned away from the spider and looked at him. "Oh, look!" she said, leaning over him and pointed out of the window on his side.

He followed where her finger was pointing and saw a black booth, with a white sign on top. As the car began to descend, he was able to just make out the words 'Future Teller Extraordinaire'.

They stepped off the ride and headed in the direction of the booth. When they were close enough to read the sign, Derek scoffed.

"You did that last time," Casey told him, pulling back the curtain and stepping inside.

Derek took three tokens out of his pocket and inserted them into the small slot on the right. "Well, with a name like 'Sir Woody' . . ." his voice trailed off as the wooden dummy smiled at them before the glass clouded over.

Words slowly began to form on the glass, until Casey and Derek could read 'Welcome Back'.

"How funny," Derek said as the words began to disappear and arrows formed, pointing towards the buttons on the side.

Casey remembered '1 year', '5 years', and '10 years' written on them the last time she was in the booth. But this time, they were all blank. Derek nudged her, making her look at him. At his small smile, she reached out and pushed the same button as last time.

Nothing happened.

"Did you do something else last time?" Derek asked, staring at the small holes and waiting for some sound to come out.

"No," she told him, pressing the other buttons after a couple of seconds. "I wish there was just a button that says 'go home'," she said aggravated.

"You're almost there," they heard come out of the small holes. The glass became clear again and 'Sir Woody' continued to smile at them.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Derek asked, putting three more tokens into the slot. The glass remained clear and the smile on the dummy's face didn't falter. "Ugh," Derek grunted, balling his hand into a fist and stalking out of the booth.

Casey followed and leaned against the side of the booth, as Derek paced in front of her.

"How much do you think it'll cost me if I broke that damn thing?" he asked gesturing vaguely to the booth. He took a few more steps, waiting for a remark from Casey, but stopped when none came.

Turning, he saw her, slumped against the side of the booth. Casey's face was pointed down and her shoulders were shaking slightly.

"Case?" he whispered, stopping in front of her.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she said, punctuating each word with a bang of her head against the wall of the booth.

Derek took a step closer to her. "Casey, what's wrong?" The concern in his voice made her cry harder. After about four more times of Casey banging her head on the wall, Derek walked up to her and slid his hand behind her head, to soften the blow.

Her wet eyes lifted and Derek watched as big tears rolled down her cheeks. "You're going to have a bump in the morning," he told her, rubbing the back of her head.

More tears flowed and Casey was taking deep breaths. "I'm sorry," she said as clearly as she could manage. It wasn't lost on them that it was the first time either had said those words to the other.

Before Derek could ask what she was sorry for, Casey continued. "It's all my fault. If I didn't want to bother you I would have never gone into this stupid booth and we would have never ended up here." She began to throw her head back again, but his hand still cushioned her hits. This time the bangs were followed with 'I'm sorry'.

Derek's other hand came up and held her neck just below her jaw, to keep her head steady. His thumb swiped across her cheek, trying in vain to wipe away her tears as more poured from her eyes.

"Hey," he began, making her look at him. "I was the one to piss you off enough for you to go into the booth."

"I pushed – "

"We pushed each other," he interrupted her. The hand in her hair moved closer to her face, so his thumb was free to wipe the tears on the other cheek, while his fingers remained in her hair.

"You hate me," she told him, lifting her arms from her side and placing her hands on his arms. "And I don't blame you," she whispered.

"I don't hate you." She gave him a skeptical look. "Anymore," he added.

"I don't hate you either," she told him quietly.

He took a step closer and wiped the last of her tears away. One thumb traced her jaw line while his other hand went back to behind her head. "And I'm beginning to think you entering that damn booth wasn't such a bad thing."

"Oh yeah?" she smiled, her hands traveling up his arms.

"Mmhmm," he said tilting her chin a bit. "We've learned a lot."

She feigned shock. "Derek Venturi learned something?" One arm wrapped around his shoulder.

"I do occasionally," he moved closer, their bodies completely flush with one another.

When she felt his breath on her face, she softly said "Derek."

"Hmm?" he pulled back slightly to look in her eyes.

"I still don't love you," she said seriously.

He laughed, the vibrations in his chest reverberating through her. "So I guess we're still on the same page."

"Same page," she agreed before she pulled him closer and kissed him.

This time, they both felt the slight tingle going through their entire bodies.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I'm really sorry this took a long time to write and finally put on the site. Life kind of decided it wanted to keep me busy for a while. This is the last chapter of the story. It's a bit short, but it's only supposed to tie everything together. I'm ok with it I guess, but I do hope you all like it. I also am not planning on writing a sequel, so I'm sorry to those who wanted one. 

Enjoy and review

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Derek's right hand was buried in Casey's hair. His finger tips were rubbing small circles onto the bump that was sure to form. His other hand moved to her lower back, pulling her body closer to his.

One of Casey's arms was wrapped around Derek's shoulder, her nails lightly scratching at the base of his neck. Her other hand was in his hair, gripping it slightly just behind his ear.

The hand on her back moved a little lower, as her own hand moved from his hair onto his face.

Something was different.

Their kiss slowed until each was breathing heavily, foreheads pressed against the others.

They opened their eyes and saw a distorted image of the other, a slight overlapping of the eyes. Derek brushed his fingers along the top of Casey's jeans, which were now made of a softer cotton material without belt loops. Casey ran her thumb from the top of Derek's ear to the lobe, which was smooth.

Derek pulled back slightly, so he could see Casey's entire face. She cocked her head to the side, staring at the now earring-less ear as the pad of her thumb continued to move over it. His right hand traveled from root to tip and Derek realized that her hair was now one long length.

He raised an eyebrow at her and she just tilted her head a bit more to the side. Her arm remained around his neck and one of his hands continued moving slowly through the ends of her hair. Derek's other hand traveled up her arm, before it stilled and his thumb started rubbing back and forth on her forearm. His eyes traveled to where his thumb was rubbing and narrowed slightly.

"I'm sorry," he spoke softly.

Casey looked down to where his hand rested and saw the imprint his finger nails made on her skin. She wasn't sure whether they were created ten years ago, two days ago, or only moments ago.

"It's okay," she told him with a small smile, which he readily returned.

Both stood silently for a couple of minutes, looking back down at Derek's thumb, which kept moving across her arm.

"So," Derek began, lifting his eyes to her face.

"Yeah," Casey said, looking up at him.

Heaving a sigh, he removed the hand that was on her arm and ran it through his hair. He took a step back, effectively causing Casey's arms to drop to her side. "We need to discuss this," he gestured between them with his other hand.

She shrugged. "Where do you want to begin?"

"Well," Derek paced in front of her. "For starters, no one finds out about this. We pretend like it never happened."

"Oh . . . right." he missed the dejected look on Casey's face.

He watched as a couple passed them, followed by their children. "Oh, and before I forget, that home movie–"

"Yeah, I get it," she cut him off angrily, blinking back the tears threatening to fall. "We need to make sure it never happens."

"What?" he asked completely shocked. He stopped pacing and turned to look at Casey. She cast her eyes to the ground, avoiding looking at him. "Is that really what you want?" he whispered, moving closer to her.

"Isn't it what you want?" She kept her eyes fixed on her shoes.

He laughed and moved closer to her. "Casey, Casey, Casey," he shook his head a few times with a smile on his face.

"It's not?" she whispered. He shook his head. "But . . . but you said . . . and I thought . . . and, and–"

"What I meant was," he cut her off. "That we can't exactly tell people that we traveled to the future. I really don't want anyone to think me or my girlfriend are insane." He continued under his breath, "Women and their damn emotions."

She decided to ignore his comment. "Girlfriend?" Casey raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have to ask me first?"

Derek rolled his eyes, but stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Casey, _dear_, do you want to be my girlfriend?"

She tapped her bottom lip, Derek's eyes following the finger. "I don't know. I might have to think about it."

"And why do you have to think about it?"

"Well," her arms began trailing up his arms. "I do want to keep my options open. I mean, did you see how hot Tinker looked in the future?"

Derek's mouth dropped open for a moment, before he glared at her. "That's not even funny."

"Oh no?" she wrapped his hair around one of her fingers. He shook his head again. "What were you going to say?"

"About what?"

"The home movie."

"Oh, that." He brushed her hair away from her face and leaned closer to her ear. "Well, before I was _rudely_ interrupted." She scratched his scalp hard, so he nipped at her ear lobe. "I was going to say that we need to remember to make the video. I'm actually looking forward to really experiencing them."

Casey pulled Derek's hair, bringing his head away from hers so she could look at him. "Yeah?"

"Mmhmm," he nodded.

"But what if it doesn't work out that way? What if we actually were dreaming?"

He laughed. "Well, it was a nice dream then, wasn't it?" She nodded. "But don't you dare tell anyone I said anything like that."

"No one would ever believe me if I did," she told him. "Do you really want to try?"

He smiled and ran one of his hands through her hair, tugging lightly at a few strands. "When are you cutting your hair?" She understood that his question was an affirmative answer to her own.

"As soon as you pierce your ear," she countered, eyes traveling from his ear back to his eyes.

"Find me a needle."

Casey's mouth opened in shock. "Don't you dare, you might get an infection."

He smiled, his fingers twirling in the ends of hair. "Didn't know you cared so much about my wellbeing. And to think you aren't even my girlfriend."

Her arms moved from around his neck to settle on her hips. "I don't," she told him with narrowed eyes. "And I guess I'm not."

"Are you sure you don't want to be?" he asked as he pulled her closer to him. "Not even a little bit?" he tilted her head back.

"Well, maybe just a little bit."

Derek nuzzled Casey's ear with his nose, as she wound her arms back around his neck. "Are you sure it's just a little?"

"Derek," she said, making him pull back to look at her. "Enough," she told him, before she pulled his face closer and kissed him.

"Holy shit," they heard a few moments later.

"Edwin, language!" Casey pulled back and darted her eyes to the right, seeing Nora scold Edwin.

"Is this a fuc–"

"Lizzie!"

"Um, Nora. Is that Derek and Casey?" George said.

"What? Where? . . . Oh my god."

"Smerek and Casey sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love–"

"Not now Marti."

"I guess we're caught," Derek whispered. Casey just nodded her head. "So . . . you got this right?" Casey stomped on his foot. "Fine, fine."

Derek took a step back and grabbed her hand, Casey intertwined their fingers. They both turned to face their family.

"Mom."

"Dad . . . There's something we want to try . . ."

* * *

The end.

Thanks so much to everyone who gave this story a chance, to those to read and reviewed. Every single review really means a lot. I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Big hugs to all.


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